By Eric Curl
July 25, 2026 – Sometimes it pays to call the Savannah College of Art and Design your neighbor – especially if the growing nonprofit is eyeing your property to accommodate its expansion plans.
That is the case for one Louisville Road property owner that recently benefited from SCAD’s increasing wealth and desire to expand its Savannah Film Studios campus, with the university’s purchase of an adjacent 4.92-acre industrial site for almost 12 times its county assessed market value.
The property at 2337 Louisville Road, which includes a small service repair garage, was sold on July 20 by Royal Real Estate Services LLC to SCAD for $9.75 million, according to the real estate transfer form, while Chatham County’s property record lists the parcel with a 2026 appraised value of $817,500.
In a statement provided to Savannah Agenda on Friday, SCAD said the acquisition is intended to support the continued growth of its film studio complex, and the property will be primarily used for parking.
“As the largest and most comprehensive university film studio complex in higher education, SCAD Film Studios serves not only our students but also the film and television industry with world-class production facilities ,” the statement said. “This fall, SCAD will open the city’s first dedicated industry-ready soundstage, further expanding opportunities for professional productions to work alongside our state-of-the-art backlot, LED volume, and production facilities.”
The acquisition follows another recent SCAD property purchase on Bull Street near Forsyth Park. In May, the university acquired the former office building at 1211 Bull St. for about $2.45 million. That building has since been demolished, and SCAD said it is still determining plans for the site. The demolished Bull Street site is next to a former city fire station that the university acquired in December for more than $3 million.
SCAD’s Louisville Road purchase comes as the nonprofit university continues to report strong financial results. According to the university’s most recent IRS Form 990, revenue exceeded expenses by about $253.5 million during fiscal year 2025, while net assets increased from about $1.81 billion to $2.06 billion.
In a separate statement provided earlier this month, SCAD said it enrolled more than 18,000 students, invested more than $175 million in scholarships during fiscal year 2025, and has adaptively rehabilitated more than 60 historic properties in Savannah since its founding. The university said it continues to reinvest operating assets into student resources and educational needs.
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