Office of Marketing and Communications
email
Savannah Water Works Pump House added to the National Register of Historic Places
SAVANNAH (Feb. 8) – The City of Savannah, through the Georgia Department of Community Affairs Historic Preservation Division, nominated the Savannah Water Works Pump House to the National Register of Historic Places last year. In late January, the City was notified that the effort to achieve this designation was successful and the Water Works Pump House was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The National Register of Historic Places is the federal government's official list of historic buildings, structures, sites, objects, and districts worthy of preservation. National Register-eligible properties must meet the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, including being old enough to be considered historic, generally at least 50 years old.
Additionally, the property must:
- Be associated with events, activities, or developments that were important in the past; or
- Be associated with the lives of people who were important in the past; or
- Be significant in the areas of architectural history, landscape history, or engineering; or
- Have the potential to yield information about our past through archaeological investigation.
The Savannah Water Works Pump House, located at 1204 W. Gwinnett St. in Savannah, is a Romanesque Revival-style pump house built in 1892. It's the only surviving resource from the late 19th-century industrial municipal facility developed to distribute clean water to properties throughout Savannah. Its innovative use of emerging technologies in municipal water distribution and efforts by the City of Savannah to promote the welfare of its citizens through the construction and use of the most advanced technology available resulted in a city-wide plan to provide clean water to all.
The restoration and rehabilitation of the Water Works Pump House is envisioned as the centerpiece project for future development of the overall Canal District.
