May Meeting - Waterworks Placemaking Project at Arena

Tour of Site with

Reception to Follow

Almost 130-year ago the Savannah Water Works Pump House and site to the west of downtown Savannah began its life treating the city’s water supply. Over time the nearly eight-acre site reformed into warehousing and storage facilities for the city’s utility department as infrastructure needs changed. Recently the site has seen new growth as a section of the property become the home of the Enmarket Arena.

As the city moves toward the repurposing of the original historic structures and property, the resulting Water Works Placemaking Project will incorporate the architecturally enduring pump house and the areas adjacent to the new arena and original canals. The result will be recreation of the remaining parts of the original public works grounds in a multifunctional community gathering place.

Beyond the urban design aspects of the future surrounding public spaces, the project will include the rehabilitation of a long standing local, focal point building from a prior century. Members of the city will review the history of the Water Works Pump House, along with a discussion of the preservation involved, the resilience of reusing older public buildings, the structural and design aspects of the revitalization, and the future of one of Savannah’s historical pieces of 19th to early 20th century urban infrastructure.