City Exchange (Savannah, Georgia)

City Exchange was a building that stood on Bay Street in Savannah, Georgia, United States, between 1799 and 1904. It replaced a previous structure which was destroyed by fire in 1796. The former seat of Savannah's city government,[1] the building's location is now occupied by Savannah City Hall.

City Exchange
The building in 1799 (not 1797, as stated on its caption) shortly after its construction
City Exchange (Savannah, Georgia) is located in Georgia
City Exchange (Savannah, Georgia)
Location within Georgia
City Exchange (Savannah, Georgia) is located in the United States
City Exchange (Savannah, Georgia)
City Exchange (Savannah, Georgia) (the United States)
General information
AddressBay Street at Bull Street
Savannah, Georgia, U.S.
Coordinates32.08111°N 81.09112°W / 32.08111; -81.09112
Opened1799
Demolished1904 (1904)
Technical details
Floor count3
Design and construction
Architect(s)Adrian Boucher

The building was the design of French architect and builder Adrian Boucher, who arrived from New York City in 1797,[2] the year following the great fire of Savannah, to assist with the reconstruction of the city's important buildings.[3]

The Exchange served both public and private interests until 1812, when the city purchased it for use as City Hall.[4]

The building was renovated in 1854, including the addition of a portico. The architect was Savannah's Sholl & Fay.[5]

In December 1864, Union Army general John W. Geary gave a speech in front of the building in which he congratulated his troops, who had captured "this most beautiful city of the South" during the Civil War.[6]

In September 1896, the building was one of several that was damaged in a severe storm that passed through Savannah.[7]

Bell

The building's bell, the oldest in Georgia, was constructed in 1802 and imported from Amsterdam. It hung in the bell tower of the Exchange from 1804 until the building's demolition. After being in the possession of Rourke Iron Works until 1940.[8] It is now located in a replica of the tower, which was erected in 1957, in another location on East Bay Street. When it was in situ, the bell signalled the closing time for businesses. It was also rung by a watchman when fire broke out. It rang out in celebration of American victories during the War of 1812.[9]

  • The Exchange's bell on display on East Bay Street in a copy of the building's cupola
    The Exchange's bell on display on East Bay Street in a copy of the building's cupola

References
  1. Hidden History of Civil War Savannah, Michael L. Jordan (2017) ISBN 9781625851802
  2. Sojourn in Savannah: An Official Guidebook and Map of Savannah and the Surrounding Countryside, Betty Rauers, Franklin Traub (1976), p. 14
  3. The Architecture of Georgia, Frederick Doveton Nichols (1976), p. 27
  4. Savannah, 1733 to 2000: Photographs from the Collection of the Georgia Historical Society, Susan E. Dick, Mandi D. Johnson, Georgia Historical Society (2001), p. 118 ISBN 9780738506883
  5. Lost Savannah: Photographs from the Collection of the Georgia Historical Society, Luciana M. Spracher (2003) ISBN 9780738514871
  6. Savannah, Immortal City: Volume One of the Civil War Savannah Series, Barry Sheehy, Cindy Wallace, Vaughnette Goode-Walker (2011), p. 369 ISBN 9781934572702
  7. United States Congressional Serial Set, Volume 3562 (1896), p. 25
  8. Savannah in History: A Guide to More Than 75 Sites in Historical Context, Rodney Carlisle and Loretta Carlisle (2019), p. 35 ISBN 9781683340287
  9. Old City Exchange Bell – Georgia Historical Society
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