Did you know that Savannah’s Johnson Square, traditionally the city’s banking hub, was once surrounded by several of the city’s own skyscrapers? At the turn of the 20th century, like many cities, Savannah architects reached for new heights when planning their cutting-edge buildings.
In 1902, Germania Bank (later known as Liberty Bank) announced plans to begin construction of their new building on the southwest corner of Johnson Square. Designed by the Atlanta firm of Bruce & Morgan and supervised by local architect Hyman Wallace Witcover, the new building would rise eight stories tall and was completed in 1904.
Next door, National Bank soon followed, and was designed by Witcover to outshine Germania Bank at 10 stories tall featuring lower stories of Georgia marble and upper stories of brick and terra cotta in a Neoclassical style. Opening to the public in 1906, it was “equipped with all the modern conveniences of a New York skyscraper.”
Witcover had his hands in a third skyscraper on Johnson Square, designing the 10 story Hick’s Hotel, as well.
The tallest building on the square still stands, the Savannah Bank and Trust building was finished in 1911 and towers over all others at 15 stories. Skyscrapers were only possible with the embrace of modern technologies like elevators, steel frames, fireproofing, and electrical wiring.
With his work on buildings like the Germania and National banks, Hyman Witcover was helping to push Savannah not only towards the sky but into the modern world. In 1975, all three skyscrapers that Witcover was involved in, the Germania Bank, the National Bank, and Hicks Hotel, were demolished for offices and a parking facility, now part of SunTrust Bank. Today, only two of the Johnson Square skyscrapers are left standing.
City of Savannah Municipal Archives, Archives@savannahga.gov, Discover the Archives: savannahga.gov/MunicipalArchives.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah Archives: Tallest skyscrapers found around one Savannah square
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