Hyatt Regency Savannah
| Hyatt Regency Savannah | |
|---|---|
 The building's lobby in 2011 | |
 | |
| Hotel chain | Hyatt Regency |
| General information | |
| Status | Completed |
| Type | Hotel |
| Address | 2 West Bay Street Savannah, Georgia, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 32°04′54″N 81°05′29″W / 32.0816°N 81.0915°W |
| Completed | 1980 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 6 |
| Design and construction | |
| Developer | Merritt Dixon |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
Hyatt Regency Savannah is a high-rise hotel in Savannah, Georgia. Built in 1980,[1] it stands adjacent to Savannah City Hall at Bay Street's downtown midsection.
Originally envisioned as a 14-story structure in Savannah's Historic District, a long battle with the Historic Savannah Foundation concluded with a compromise being reached of its being limited to six storeys. Another source of controversy is that it bridged River Street, physically dividing the waterfront in two,[1] although the air rights were actually a remnant of the preceding structure, the Wilcox and Gibbs Guano Company.[2] A tunnel allows pedestrian and vehicle access along the street.
Facilities
[edit]The hotel has a swimming pool, a fitness center and a lounge.[3]
Waterfront location
[edit]-
The rear of the hotel spanning River Street, with the Savannah River Queen in the foreground -
Looking east
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Previous structures
[edit]Long before the site became occupied by the hotel, two ranges of buildings — Bolton Range and Habersham & Harris Range — stood on the lot, part of Commerce Row.[4] These buildings were replaced by the Neal Blun Building, which stood between 1889 and 1969, and (to the west) the M. Ferst and Company grocery store.[5] The Ferst building was completed in September 1888, but Moses Ferst, a native of Bavaria, died eleven months later, aged 60.[6]
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Bolton Range, circa 1880s, looking northwest -
Habersham and Company, southern façade. The company was in business between 1764 and 1899 -
A c. 1863 view
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Editor's Note: A developer’s vision – and a building controversy" – Connect Savannah
- ^ Savannah Morning News, July 14, 1889
- ^ Explore Our Hotel – Hyatt Regency Savannah
- ^ Lost Savannah: Photographs from the Collection of the Georgia Historical Society, Luciana M. Spracher (2003), p. 93
- ^ Lost Savannah: Photographs from the Collection of the Georgia Historical Society, Luciana M. Spracher (2003), p. 94
- ^ Savannah Morning News, August 15, 1889