We were asked to take part in a ULI Technical Assistance Panel to determine what the city of Savannah should do with its aging Johnny Mercer theater and adjacent civic center, both built in the 1960s urban redevelopment craze. In this case, that move destroyed one of the city’s original 18th century Oglethorpe parks.

After examining several potential adaptive re-use scenarios (as well as keeping just the theater), and listening to area resident and stakeholder input, the team’s decision was: demolish the buildings, return the original park and street grid and rezone the area for mixed-use with an emphasis on workforce housing

Savannah Civic Center should be demolished, reports finds