By Eric Curl
May 10, 2023 – The Savannah College of Art and Design will not have to worry about getting a refund, following the recent acquisition of the former Ghost Coast Distillery building.
The university’s plans to convert the structure to serve students, rather than spirits, was approved by the Historic District Board of Review on Wednesday.
See Savannah Agenda’s SCAD map and database
The proposed alterations and rehabilitations by Hansen Architects were approved after the university closed on the property at 641 West Indian St. for $5 million on May 1, according to sales records.
SCAD is planning to renovate the structure for “state-of-the-art” classrooms, according to a statement issued by the university last month, as previously reported. The building plans show a photo shooting studio, photo studio checkout and equipment room, computer labs and a gallery.
Constructed in 1958, the former warehouse is a non-historic structure with the Downtown Historic District that was altered in 2015 for use as the distillery. SCAD’s acquisition of the building further establishes the university’s presence along the short stretch of Indian Street extending east from the Talmadge Bridge to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The corridor includes SCAD’s Alexander Hall, Adler Hall, Fahm Hall and Hamilton Hall. In addition, the Ghost Coast building is located next to a new SCAD parking garage and across the street from a 17-story student housing complex being built for the university.
The purchase is the latest building acquired by SCAD since the university bought the former Chatham Apartments in November 2020. The university has since converted that building for use as student housing.
Ghost Coast opened in 2017 with the assistance of the Savannah Economic Development Authority, which provided a 5-year property tax abatement that ended in 2021. The distillery’s product line included whisky, vodka, gin and rum before the owners shut down operations late last year after attributing the closure to “economic conditions” on social media, according to news reports.
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