Crawford Square is one of the 22 squares of Savannah, Georgia, United States. It is located in the middle row of the city's five rows of squares, on Houston Street and East McDonough Street, and was laid out in 1841. It is south of Greene Square and east of Colonial Park Cemetery on the eastern edge of the Savannah Historic District., accessed June 16, 2007. The oldest building on the square is at 224 Houston Street, which dates to 1850.
Crawford Square is named in honor of Secretary of the Treasury William Harris Crawford.SavannahBest.com's Squares of Savannah, accessed June 16, 2007 Crawford ran for the U.S. presidency in 1824 but came in third, behind John Quincy Adams and runner-up Andrew Jackson.The Savannah Experience, Historic Savannah Squares, accessed June 16, 2007
Although Crawford is the smallest of the squares, it anchors the largest ward, as Crawford Ward includes the territory of Colonial Park Cemetery.
During the era of Jim Crow, this was the only square in which African-Americans were permitted.Tour Guide Manual for licensed tour guides in the City of Savannah, accessed June 16, 2007.
The square contains playground facilities, a basketball court, and a gazebo.Savannah Scene magazine, May–June 2007, pp 10–11, accessed June 16, 2007.
While all squares were once fenced, it is the only one that remains so. Crawford Square has also retained its cistern, a holdover from early fire fighting practices. After a major fire in 1820 firemen maintained duty stations in the squares, each of which was equipped with a storage cistern.Chan Sieg (1984). The squares: an introduction to Savannah. Virginia Beach: Donning.
The Lady Chablis lived in the square prior to her rise to fame after her appearance in John Berendt's non-fiction novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
Dedication Namesake Image NoteWilliam H. CrawfordThe square is named for William H. Crawford (1772–1834), United States Senator.
Constituent buildings
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.
Northwestern civic/trust lot 225 Houston Street 504–508 East McDonough Street 510 East McDonough Street
Southwestern civic/trust lot 227–231 Houston Street 501–503 East McDonough Street (1890) 505–507 East McDonough Street (1890) 232 Price Street
Southwestern residential/tything lot 505–515 East Perry Street (1852) James Roberts Row House, 517–523 East Perry Street (1871) Stewart Austin Row House, 234–244 Price Street (1855)
Northeastern residential/tything lot 214–222 Houston Street (1910) 415 East Hull Street 215 East Broad Street
Northeastern civic/trust lot John Tucker Property, 224 Houston Street (1850)Historic Building Map: Savannah Historic District – Historic Preservation Department of the Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission (November 17, 2011), p. 42 – oldest building on the square 548–550 East McDonough Street (1870) – the Present Hotel (as of 2022) 221 East Broad Street
Southeastern civic/trust lot 230 Houston Street 543 East McDonough Street 540–544 East Perry Street 227–229 East Broad Street
Southeastern residential/tything lot 531 East Perry Street 533–539 East Perry Street 543–547 East Perry Street 235–239 East Broad Street (1890) 241–243 East Broad Street (1895) 539 East Perry Lane
Gallery
References