| Johnson Square | |
| Namesake: | Robert Johnson |
| Location: | Savannah, Georgia, U.S. |
| Maint: | City of Savannah |
| Coordinates: | 32.0799°N -81.0915°W |
| North: | Bull Street |
| South: | Bull Street |
| West: | West St. Julian Street |
| East: | East St. Julian Street |
Johnson Square is one of the 22 squares of Savannah, Georgia, United States. Located in the northernmost row of the city's five rows of squares, it was the first of the squares to be laid out, in 1733, and remains the largest of the 22. It is east of Ellis Square, west of Reynolds Square and north of Wright Square. Situated on Bull Street and St. Julian Street, it is named for Robert Johnson, colonial governor of South Carolina and a friend of General James Oglethorpe.[1] [2] The oldest building on the square is the Ann Hamilton House, at 26 East Bryan Street, which dates to 1824.
Interred under his monument in the square is Revolutionary War hero General Nathanael Greene, the namesake of nearby Greene Square. Greene died in 1786 and was buried in Savannah's Colonial Park Cemetery. His son was buried beside him after drowning in the Savannah River in 1793. Following vandalism of the cemetery by occupying Union forces during the Civil War the location of Greene's burial was lost. After the remains were re-identified, Greene and his son were moved to Johnson Square. An obelisk in the center of the square now serves as a memorial to General Greene. The cornerstone of the monument was laid by Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, in 1825. At that time the obelisk did not yet commemorate any specific individual or event. In fact, due to financial restrictions the unmarked obelisk served for several years as a joint monument to both Greene and Casimir Pulaski. Inscriptions honoring Greene were added in 1886, but the Greenes' physical remains did not arrive until 1901, following their "rediscovery."[3] [2] [4]
Johnson Square contains two fountains, as well as a sundial.[2]
Another landmark of Johnson Square is the Johnson Square Business Center. This building, formerly known as the Savannah Bank Building, was the city's first "skyscraper", built in 1911. Johnson Square is known as the financial district, or banking square, and many of the city's financial services companies are located here. These companies include the Savannah Bancorp, Savannah Bank, Coastal Bank Headquarters, Bank of America branch, SunTrust branch, TitleMax Corporate Headquarters, and a Regions Bank building.
Christ Church Episcopal occupies the southeastern trust lot of the square at 28 Bull Street. Christ Church is "the Mother Church of Georgia", established in 1733. Early clergy of the church include John Wesley and George Whitefield.
The Pulaski House Hotel was in operation in the northwestern corner of the square between 1835 and 1948.[5] It was torn down eight years later.[6] Regions Bank stands in its place, as of 2023.[7]
Screven House Hotel stood at the corner of Bull Street and Congress Street in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.[8] [9] It was demolished and replaced, in 1913, by the Savannah Hotel, which became the Manger Building.
| Object | Image | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Historical marker | Erected by the Georgia Historical Commission in 1955. | ||
| Sundial | Dedicated to Colonel William Bull, the namesake of Savannah's Bull Street. Bull was a South Carolinian who assisted General James Oglethorpe with the establishment of Savannah and, as a surveyor, laid out the original street grid. The sundial has four panels, one on each side of its square granite base. The dial itself is bronze, set atop a marble shaft. One of the base panels reproduces a 1734 map of Savannah. | ||
| Fountain | One of the square's two fountains, with Christ Church in the background. |
See also: Buildings in Savannah Historic District.
Each building below is in one of the eight blocks around the square composed of four residential "tything" blocks and four civic ("trust") blocks, now known as the Oglethorpe Plan. They are listed with construction years where known.