ARLH 202 03

Fall 2015
11/19/15
Assignment 3: Urban Context Analysis
Chatham County Courthouse Annex
124 Bull St.
1889
William G. Preston
The Chatham County Courthouse Annex is located in the Historic District of Downtown
Savannah. It is in the Percival Ward, which is one of the original four wards of the city designed
by James Oglethorpe. It sits on a trust lot on Bull St., and is oriented westward facing Wright
Square. The streets York and State run along its sides, with Drayton street at its back. Bishop's
Crook lampposts line the sidewalk on the Bull St. side of the building. It stands adjacent to the
Lutheran Church of the Ascension on the trust lot its right, though the Courthouse Annex does
not align perfectly with the church, extending slightly farther out. The Tomochichi Federal
Building stands on the opposite side of the square. Several businesses and shops are located on
the surrounding tything lots. There is a high density in the buildings that are not on trust lots;
they are either attached or spaced very closely together.
Though the building no longer functions as a courthouse, the Courthouse Annex still
currently houses many local government offices, and is close by another federal/judicial
building, which reflects Wright Square's history of being the judicial square of Savannah. It is a
Romanesque Revival style building, with thick masonry walls of pale brick. A solid granite
foundation sits at the building's base and runs along some of its sides. Large, rounded arches
stand at the entrances. Botanical terra cotta ornamentation decorate the arches at the front and
back of the building, and is also used above a row of windows on the second floor of the facade.
Similar materials and techniques are used on the other buildings in the area. Many of the
businesses located on the surrounding trust lots are made of brick. The Lutheran Church of the
Ascension is also made of thick masonry walls, and features rounded arches on its doorways and
some of its windows. The Tomochichi Federal building does the same. It is constructed of
Georgia White Marble and features many rounded arches throughout its design, including at its
entryways and windows. Also like the Courthouse Annex, it stands upon a strong granite
foundation, and features botanical terra cotta ornamentation and nature motifs on its arches and
above many of its windows. Some other uniting features of these three trust lot buildingsthe
Courthouse Annex, the Federal Building, and the Lutheran Churchis that they are all topped by
large towers. A steeple sits atop the Lutheran Church, a bell tower atop the Federal Building, and
a clock tower atop the Courthouse Annex. All of their entryways rest at or very near ground
level, possibly symbolizing their accessibility and how available the ideals of justice and
righteousness are to the general public in Savannah. They all also use pale color schemes, as do
most of the other surrounding business buildings in the area. (Word count: 471)
Wright Square, which the Courthouse Annex faces, was formerly known as Percival
Square to reflect the name of the ward after one of the Georgia Trustees, John Percival. It was

used as the judicial square in the town's earliest days, and housed a courthouse, jail, and was
possibly the site of the allows as well. Though the current Courthouse Annex building was
constructed in 1889, it replaced an older courthouse which stood on the same location since the
1830s.
According to a Sanborn map from 1884, the old courthouse was also constructed of brick,
stood only 2 stories high, and had an attachment at the back of the building. The Lutheran
Church still stood across the street, but also shared the space of the trust lot with a residence and
a few business buildings. As opposed to a federal building being on the opposite trust lots across
the square, the space was occupied by buildings used for artillery and the town's volunteer guard,
as well as several businesses and one residence. Most of the tything lots at the time were still
occupied by businesses, residences, and buildings that doubled as both. Most of these buildings
were still constructed of brick, though some were made of wood.
A Sanborn map from 1916 shows the present Courthouse building. It is much larger,
taking up the full width of the trust lot space, and stands four stories tall, with the addition of the
75 ft. tall wooden clock tower on the roof. It was also adapted for the technology of the time,
being heated by steam power and lit with electric lights. The Lutheran Church still stood across
the street, but it had also undergone some renovations, including a new slated wooden attic and
an extension of the spire from 80 ft. to 100 ft. The site of the current federal building on the trust
lots across the square no longer held the volunteer guard building or the artillery. The trust lot on
the York St. side of the square now held a three-story-tall post office and court house. The second
trust lot was now the site of many stores and offices. The buildings on the tything lots had also
adapted to the times. Many auto shops, garages, and gas stations now existed with the invention
of cars. There was a wider variety of businesses and entertainment, such as moving picture
theaters, ice cream parlors, and department stores. The number of dwellings in this area also
decreased, and many of the buildings were now shops. (Word count: 423)