July is World Watercolor Month. Watercolor is a beautiful painting medium known for its delicacy and subtlety.
When City Hall architect Hyman Wallace Witcover presented his proposed design for the building to the public in July 1903, he used the medium of watercolor. After receiving approval of the City Hall building committee, the large watercolor (measuring 5 feet by 3 feet) was hung in the Hymes’ picture store window on Bull Street near Oglethorpe Avenue, where it could be easily viewed by the general public.
The image depicted the future City Hall rendered in fine detail set against a backdrop of blue sky and clouds with a busy street scene in front. It was well received by the crowds of citizens that gathered to view it.
Both the Savannah Morning News and the Savannah Evening Press published detailed descriptions of the proposed building following the unveiling of the watercolor, including that “the style of architecture is of the Italian Renaissance with perhaps a little more than a suggestion of the French type introduced” and “four groups, representing Roman chariots drawn by three prancing horses, surmount the corners.”
While the chariots and prancing horses fell victim to value engineering and never made it past Witcover’s watercolor, most of Witcover’s proposal can be seen in the executed design.
Today, Witcover’s original watercolor hangs in City Hall’s rotunda where it can be viewed by the public. In 2014, Savannah College of Art & Design student Zoe Leung was inspired by the building and created her own watercolor painting of City Hall, which she later donated to the Municipal Archives.
The City’s College Art Competition was in turn inspired by her donation and Savannah-area students were invited to submit their own artistic interpretations of City Hall. The winning submissions, all showcasing the beauty of the City Hall building, are part of a long-term exhibit in City Hall’s 4th floor rotunda.
The public can view them online at bit.ly/3iL4vi6..
City of Savannah Municipal Archives, Archives@savannahga.gov, Discover the Archives: savannahga.gov/MunicipalArchives.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah Archives: Celebrate World Watercolor Month with this artwork of City Hall
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