By Eric Curl

Oct. 18, 2020 – Do you remember the last time you had a gas station attendant refill your car for you in Savannah? If it was sometime this century, than it was likely at the former downtown Smith’s Texaco at 236 Drayton St.

Back then, the station fronted a city-block-sized parking lot and the adjacent 12-story Drayton Tower still provided apartments for less than $600 a month. Since the station closed in 2007, the parking lot has been replaced with a boutique hotel, Drayton Tower’s studio units rent for about $1,700 and up, and instead of petrol, pizza had been served at the site after Green Fire Pizza opened there in 2016. (A Motorini scooter shop and a pet store had also operated there after the station closed). Green Fire shut down this year at the location and Zunzi’s – Savannah’s purveyor of the nationally renown Conquistador sandwich – is now expected to occupy the space.  

Zunzi’s owner recently submitted a renovation plan for the 83-year-old building to add a deck and storage space for a new restaurant and bar.

Renderings of the signs can be seen in the submittal packet that was recently submitted to the Savannah Historic District Board of Review.

The historic review board previously approved additions and alterations to the building, in addition to a fence around the property on the Drayton side,  with some conditions, according to the minutes from the meeting on Aug. 12.

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The one-story building was originally constructed sometime between 1936 and 1937 for the Texas Company, Texaco Service Station with Art Deco Style Elements and is a contributing structure within Savannah’s downtown Historic District, according to past staff reports from 2008  and 2016 when the signs for previous businesses were considered by the review board.

Owner Larry Smith said increased property taxes and gas prices were behind his decision to close the gas station, where some patrons still paid by tab each month, as described in this Savannah Morning News article.

Smith sold the property for $665,000 about four years later, according to the property record.

Zunzi’s walk-up location, located at 108 E. York St., has serving South African inspired sandwiches in Savannah since 2005. The take-out restaurant has become a draw for locals and visitors over the years after receiving national acclaim, such as Travel Channel’s Adam Richman selecting the restaurant’s Conquistador as the best sandwich in the southern region in 2012, as described in this WTOC.

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