Columbia Square (Savannah, Georgia)

Columbia Square

Looking south from inside the square
Namesake	Columbia
Maintained by	City of Savannah
Location	Savannah, Georgia, U.S.
Coordinates	32°04′36″N 81°05′17″W / 32.0768°N 81.0880°W / 32.0768; -81.0880
North	Habersham Street
East	East President Street
South	Habersham Street
West	East President Street
Construction
Completion	1799 (225 years ago) (1799)

Columbia Square is one of the 22 squares of Savannah, Georgia, United States. It is located in the second row of the city's five rows of squares, on Habersham Street and East President Street. It is south of Warren Square and between Oglethorpe Square to the west and Greene Square to the east. The oldest building on the square is at 307 East President Street, today's 17 Hundred 90 Inn, which, as its name suggests, dates to the 18th century.^[1]

The square was laid out in 1799 and is named for Columbia, the poetic personification of the United States. In the center of the square is a fountain that formerly stood at the Wormsloe estate of Noble Jones, one of Georgia's first settlers. It was moved to Columbia Square in 1970 to honor Augusta and Wymberly DeRenne, descendants of Jones. It is sometimes called the "rustic fountain," as it is decorated with vines, leaves, flowers, and other woodland motifs.^[2][3]

Irish immigrant William Kehoe built a house on the eastern side of the square, at 130 Habersham Street, in 1885. After both his business and his family expanded, he built a larger home, completed in 1892, diagonally across the square at 123 Habersham Street.^[4]

The Timothy Bonticou Double House, at 418–420 East State Street, was moved one block south from 419–421 East Broughton Lane in 1972.

The office of Historic Savannah Foundation is in the southwest tything of the square, at 321 East York Street.^[5]

In 2024, a Columbia Square monument was commissioned to honor the seven women who began the preservation movement in Savannah. They were Katherine Judkins Clark, Elinor Adler Dillard, Anna Colquit Hunter, Lucy Barrow McIntire, Dorothy Ripley Roebling, Nola McEvoy Roos and Jane Adair Wright.^[6]

Namesake	Image	Note
Columbia		The square is named for Columbia, the poetic personification of the United States.

Object	Image	Note
Fountain		Columbia Square fountain, looking east. The Green Fleetwood House, at 128 Habersham Street, in the background has since been painted yellow.

Each building below is in one of the eight blocks around the square composed of four residential "tything" blocks and four civic ("trust") blocks, now known as the Oglethorpe Plan. They are listed with construction years where known.

• 
  Isaiah Davenport House, 324 East State Street
• 
  Francis M. Stone House, 402 East State Street
• 
  "Laura's Cottage", 416 East State Street
• 
  Timothy Bonticou Double House, 418–420 East State Street
• 
  409 East York Street
• 
  Green Fleetwood House, 128 Habersham Street
• 
  William Kehoe's first house, 130 Habersham Street
• 
  Frederick Ball House, 136 Habersham Street
• 
  Kehoe's second house, 123 Habersham Street
• 
  Abraham Sheftall House, 321 East York Street
• 
  Abraham Scribner House, 424 East President Street
• 
  Thomas Morgan House, 313–315 East York Street
• 
  Jerome H. Wilson Property, 307–311 East York Street
• 
  Joseph Gammon Property, 134 Lincoln Street
• 
  17 Hundred 90 Inn, 307 East President Street
• 
  Frederick Heineman House, 125–127 Habersham Street