May 29, 2026
We Savannahians are witnessing a sustained degradation of the very qualities that make our Downtown Historic District unique and a national treasure. Ever more inappropriate development is proposed every few weeks. We at the Oglethorpe Plan Coalition, Inc. are dedicated to addressing these threats and protecting the Downtown Savannah National Historic District.
In This Issue:
Queensborough Bank Proposal Needs Improvements
OPC Appreciates the Mayor’s Letter to the Tourist Advisory Council
The International Style Dilemma
Queensborough Bank Proposal Needs Improvement
The proposal for the new Queensborough Bank on the northeast corner of East Broughton Street and Habersham Street is back on the tentative June agenda for the Savannah Historic District Board of Review. The meeting is to be held at the Arthur A. Mendonsa Hearing Room, 112 East State Street, Savannah, GA on June 10, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. The full agenda can be viewed at
june-10-2026-historic-district-board-of-review-meeting.pdf
Queensborough Bank Proposal
402 E. Broughton Street
No. 1 on the Tentative Regular Agenda
“Petition of Rose Architects, Kevin Rose | 25-005674-COA | 402 East Broughton St. | New Construction, Part 2”
B
roughton Street Elevation
Habersham Street Elevation
The Oglethorpe Plan Coalition, Inc. (OPC) opposes the proposal for Queensborough’s new bank building in its current design. While the OPC does not oppose the construction of the bank on this site, the current proposal does not meet the Design Standards or the Visual Compatibility Criteria in the Savannah Ordinance. Here’s what nearby buildings look like:
Such shortcomings, however, can possibly be partially mitigated through design modifications, such as reducing the amount of glass, especially at the second floor, and adjusting the horizontal division of the facades. Our detailed analysis of this proposal can be found here.
If you want to encourage refinement of this proposal, please attend the hearing and/or email historic@thempc.org with the subject line “Opposition to 402 E. Broughton Street and Request for Improvements” and copy opc.preservation@gmail.com. Please send in your letter and/or email by June 8 in order for it to be counted. Feel free to borrow content form the OPC’s letter (link above). A sample letter is below:
Dear HDBR,
I respectfully urge the HDBR to continue this matter with instructions to the applicant to comply with Design Standards and make the proposal more visually compatible with the 18th and 19th century structures that surround it.
[Optional: explain where you live or work and why this matters to you personally]
[Signature]
[Address]
OPC Appreciates the Mayor’s Letter to the Tourist Advisory Council
The Oglethorpe Plan Coalition applauds the 22 April 2026 letter from Savannah’s Mayor to the Savannah Tourism Advisory Committee Council (TAC), and the intention of City Council to address the growing “structural imbalance” and “level of disruption that begins to diminish the very livability that makes Savannah special.” The Mayor himself said in his letter to the TAC, “I remain convinced that what makes Savannah a great place to visit is that it is first and foremost a great place to live.’’
The OPC enthusiastically wishes to join in the requested "shared dialogue." One of our concerns, however, is that the solutions proposed do not take into account the most precious and unique identifying characteristic of Savannah’s Historic District, its designation as a National Historic Landmark. This is the goose that lays the golden egg of the tourism industry. It is the glue that should hold our interests together.
TAC has lost its way by continuing to focus on maximizing visitor numbers, numbers of hotel rooms, and visitor “entertainment,” using criteria inherently destructive of the very attraction that forms the basis of its entire business.
Rather than focusing excessively on tourism maximization, TAC should become a partner in the preservation movement.
As the primary emphasis of the OPC is the physical well-being of the National Historic Landmark District, we would also like to challenge the City to forthrightly recognize the unique character of the district, and that once it is gone, it’s gone forever. We recommend the following:
1. The city must uphold our status as a National Historic Landmark District.
2. The city must enforce the historic district ordinance which sustains the traditional design principles underlying our National Historic Landmark District designation.
3. The city must be our champion against the overwhelming private and public commercial demands on land surrounding the historic district. For example, the conglomeration of giant new hotels on the northeast completely blocks the view east to the harbor from the historic Old Harbor Light in Emmet Park.
4. The city must not allow the initially attractive concept of separate entertainment districts and corridors to alter the unique unity of our 2.2 square mile historic district. It may well be simply a means to encourage ever increasing overtourism and make large swaths of the city unfit for any residents.
5. The city must respect and protect our remaining public green spaces, “the lungs of the city.” As the city’s density increases, and surrounding development walls us in, these unique squares and parks, with their magnificent trees and historic landscaping, become ever more essential to the preservation of the city's unique charm and quality of life.
The International Style Dilemma
While the 1966 designation of the Savannah Downtown Historic District focused on its wealth of historic classically inspired architecture, later amendments pushed the date of significance further out, until it encompassed the “modern” buildings that the designation was attempting to stop.
The much-abused term “modern” has been used in the past to describe a variety of styles, even Greek Revival, as in Minard Lafever’s 1835 Beauties of Modern Architecture. As it is used today, the term “modern” refers to the International Modern Style, which began in the 1910s in Europe and flourished in the US after World War II. It is not a new style.
The Ordinance encourages “contemporary” architecture but does not set a preference for one style over another. Contemporary architects practice in a variety of styles, from the semi-antique International Style to vernacular-inspired styles to the ever-eternal Classical style.
While it might not be objectionable to employ the International Style when constructing a new building between two other similar buildings; the Ordinance discourages doing so between historic contributing structures with a different visual expression. The Ordinance frames these rules as the Visual Compatibility criteria.
Unfortunately, the review process for new buildings is tipping the scales to force the developer friendly “big box” semi-antique International Style upon the district over other styles. In applying the visual compatibility criteria, priority should be given to compatibility with adjacent structures. Unfortunately, the review boards and the staff that support them sometimes ignore the adjacent historic structures and rely solely on an International Style building blocks away.
In the 1950s ambitious developers wrapped the historic buildings on Broughton Street in curtain walls. In the interest of “modernity,” their architects claimed the invention of air conditioning removed the need for windows. The result was that as businesses moved south, Broughton Street deteriorated into an ugly and empty liability.
From the late 20th century onwards, owners have removed these coverings to expose the vibrant historic buildings we residents and tourists all love.
Below are photos of Levy's Department store, built in the 1920's, before it was wrapped with a curtain wall and extended in the 1950's (the original building is still behind the modern façade).
Unfortunately, the review process now holds the altered version as the model for new development, even in parts of the Historic District that are predominantly late-18th and early 19th century in character.
The risk we now face is that Savannah will lose its local character. The International Style is exactly what it says it is – a style without regard to the local character of its location. Do we want Savannah to look like any other contemporary city?
Monthly Oglethorpe Plan Coalition (OPC) Volunteers Meeting
The OPC is a volunteer group, and we want you! Please contact us at opc.preservation@gmail.com if you would like to get involved. Our next meeting is planned for June 7,, 2026. Please send us an email with your contact information if you are interested in attending in person or by Zoom. Capacity is limited.