The Savannah College of Art and Design: Restoration of an Architectural Heritage

In 1979, a small art college with 71 students opened its doors in a renovated 19th-century building in the urban heart of colonial Savannah, Georgia. One of the most historic cities on the eastern seaboard, Savannah is noted for its architectural treasures, urban forest and verdant squares, and for the unique 1733 city plan designed by General Oglethorpe. The campus fabric of the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) grew from the Romanesque revival Savannah Volunteer Guards Armory, designed by Boston architect William Gibbons Preston in 1892, to comprise some 60 rehabilitated historic structures situated within four historic districts. Currently, more than 6,200 students pursue their dreams in this wonderful setting.