U.S. District Court - Savannah, GA
N 32° 04.684 W 081° 05.580
17S E 491223 N 3549092
This building was built in 1894. It houses a US Post Office, offices for various federal agencies, and a District Court. It is located at 125 Bull St in Savannah, GA.
Waymark Code: WM3Z6J
Location: Georgia, United States
Date Posted: 06/09/2008
Views: 61
From the Historic Federal Buildings web site:
The Federal Building/US Courthouse in Savannah, Georgia was built on the site where John Wesley, founder of Methodism, preached in 1736 and 1737 in a courthouse erected by James Oglethorpe, founder of the colony of Georgia. Originally, the Post Office was located in the Customs House. Post Office functions then moved to the corner of Bay and Drayton Streets, then to 25 Whitaker before the U. S. Courthouse was built. Work began in 1889 on a Post Office at the corner of York and Abercorn Streets, but the work was abandoned when Savannah citizens wanted a "more suitable" structure. Congress was persuaded to appropriate additional funds and excavations were begun on June 14, 1894 for a new post office. The building, designed in the Second Renaissance Revival Style, was probably designed in 1893-1894 during the tenure of W.J. Edbrooke as Supervising Architect of the Treasury. The cornerstone lists Jeremiah O'Rourke as architect. Included in the ornate carving on the north and south elevations of the original building are two identical stone "faces." Local opinion holds that the likeness of the architect was the basis for these two sculptures. By July 30, 1899, all departments of the post office were in the new government building. A local newspaper called it "an ornament and a pride to the city." It also housed the US Courts, US Engineers and the Weather Bureau. The building was enlarged between 1930 and 1932. President Street was closed and the structure was extended to include a full city block.
Today the building serves as a postal station, offices for various federal agencies, and as a District Court.