Hodgson, W. B., Hall
Also known as: Georgia Historical Society
Why it's listed
Hodgson Hall, at 501 Whitaker Street in Savannah, was built in 1874-1875 as a memorial to William Brown Hodgson, a diplomat and scholar of Oriental languages, and as a home for the Georgia Historical Society. New York architect Detlef Lienau designed it. The main floor is a library room with a three-story ceiling, two balconies with bronze railings and tall arched windows meant to provide light and ventilation before electric lighting and air-conditioning. A brownstone stairway leads to a two-columned portico. In 1969-1970 a stuccoed annex, the Abrahams Archival Wing, was added to house rare books, manuscripts, maps and local government records. The Society, founded in 1839, is described as one of the oldest historical societies in the country. Its collections include Georgia newspapers from 1763, portraits and over 25,000 volumes, and it has published volumes of Collections and the Georgia Historical Quarterly. The building remains the Society's headquarters.
Significance in brief: It is the home of the Georgia Historical Society, founded in 1839 and described as one of the oldest historical societies in the country. The building is also notable as the work of New York architect Detlef Lienau. Its library and archives hold Georgia books, newspapers, manuscripts and portraits, and the Society published collections and a historical quarterly.
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) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 77000413, listed March 25, 1977. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 501 Whitaker St., Savannah |
|---|---|
| County | Chatham County |
| Listed | March 25, 1977 |
| Reference number | 77000413 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1874-75, 1969-70 |
| Architect / builder | Detlef Lienau (1818-1887); Thomas, Hutton, Johnson, Inc. (1969-70 annex) |
| Areas of significance | Conservation, Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and in use as the Georgia Historical Society's headquarters and library; the library room has been only slightly altered and an annex was added in 1969-1970. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Savannah Historic District |
| Coordinates | 32.07047, -81.09667 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 77000413.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q109236319
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.