Broughton Street Redevelopment | Savannah, Georgia

The design had to comply with the Historic Review Board to ensure the historic appearance was kept consistent. This required the team to use materials that called for more attention to detail from procurement to application.

The City of Savannah has tight work hour restrictions for construction, so processes had to be scheduled around those hours. The team also had to be cognizant of neighbors as we were building/demolishing next door to residencies and operating businesses. This opened the door for numerous conflicts, but at the start of each job DPR met with building and business owners to notify them of our plans and schedule. DPR created a strong relationship with our job site neighbors which we continued to build on throughout the process. Due to the age of the buildings, the complexity of transforming them from original state to workable required a review and inspection process.

Numerous teams, including design and construction, reviewed each space prior to construction to discuss a plan to alter the building without compromising the integrity of the structure. This coordination spanned from day one until project complete.

Processes such as bracing and shoring and needle shoring took place in several instances to support a wall that was being cut for new openings. The brick in some of these buildings dated easily into the early to mid-1800’s and some walls were found to be constructed of old ship ballasts around the footing foundations. Many of the buildings had been renovated in the mid-20th century when building materials were composed of hazardous materials. Also, some of these buildings had been enclosed for years and water intrusion had begun. Prior to construction activities, reports had to be generated to identify any hazardous materials. If any hazardous materials were found, abatement or removal took place immediately.

The majority of the buildings had flooring materials that were removed to expose antique heart pine flooring that was sanded and refinished to bring back the beauty of the old pine. Pine floor materials and joists were salvaged and reused whenever possible to preserve the historic integrity of the buildings.