SCAD: The College That Saved Savannah

What you'll see

This walk tells the story of a college that moved into a city instead of building beside it. Starting in the late 1970s, SCAD bought downtown buildings that had been abandoned or neglected and gave them new jobs, and you'll see the results up close. There's a Romanesque militia armory that became the school's first classroom building, and a railroad complex whose ruined brick walls now wrap a contemporary art museum. Two old movie palaces have their marquees lit again on Broughton and Abercorn streets.

Along the way you'll pass places where the college meets the public: a shop selling work by students and alumni, a restored tea room, a bookstore built into an old warehouse, and a library in a converted department store. Each shows a different kind of rescue, from careful restoration to bold modern additions inside old shells.

It's a good walk for anyone curious about historic preservation, architecture, or how a small art school became such a large presence downtown. You'll cross several of Savannah's famous squares, so allow time to linger in the shade. The Georgia Roam app plays each stop's story as you arrive: who built the building, what it was used for, and what SCAD did to bring it back.

Along the way

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