Gordonston Historic District
Why it's listed
Gordonston is a planned suburb of about 80 acres east of downtown Savannah. W. W. Gordon laid it out in 1917 on land his family had inherited and advertised it as a healthy, strictly suburban residential park. Its Beaux-Arts-inspired radial plan centers on Pierpont Circle, with wide boulevards, planted medians, live oak canopies and rear service alleys. Deed restrictions placed larger houses near the circle and small bungalows on less prominent streets. Development was slow, and more than a quarter of the lots were built on between 1945 and 1950. The district contains Craftsman bungalows, Colonial Revival houses, Tudor and other English-inspired houses, a Spanish Colonial Revival house, Monterey-style houses, early ranch houses and the 1942 Moore Avenue Elementary School. Juliette Gordon Low Park, established in 1926, is a landscaped park with a cabin used by Girl Scouts. The district is significant for its architecture, landscape architecture and community planning, with a period of significance from 1917 to 1950.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · catalog entry. Generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29).
| Period of significance | 1917-1950 |
|---|---|
| Styles | Colonial Revival; Bungalow/Craftsman; Ranch Style |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Community Planning and Development |
| Acreage | 80 |
| Boundary source | NPS cultural-resource GIS polygon |
| Full listing page | Gordonston Historic District (property record) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.