The jobs created at Southeastern Shipyard in World War II brought about staggering housing problems for newcomers to Savannah. The construction of public housing for shipyard workers began in 1942 with Josiah Tattnall Homes, a large complex consisting of 750 units. Speed was the most important criteria in construction; only one hour and fifteen minutes was needed to frame the exterior walls of each structure, thanks to prefabricated sections. Duplexes, with one to four bedrooms in each unit, included amenities such as hardwood floors, plastered walls, gas stoves, and hot water heaters. Only the families of white shipyard workers were eligible for housing at Tattnall Homes and they eagerly moved into the complex early in 1943.
The advantages of living at Tattnall Homes were appreciated immediately. Located on either side of Pennsylvania Avenue, Tattnall Homes was within walking distance of the shipyard and the rent was reasonable. Activity hummed at the Administration Building with child care and a kindergarten available, scout meetings for girls and boys, and movies for the whole family.
Built as temporary housing for the duration of the war, Tattnall Homes received an indefinite lease on life after 1945 because of continuing housing shortages. In 1954, however, the development was sold and renamed Savannah Gardens. The new management took pains to continue many of the family-oriented programs that had been the trademark of Tattnall Homes. Activities ranged from baseball and basketball, from ballet classes to teenage dances. Over the years, Savannah Gardens’ residents became diverse as African American families moved in during the late 1960s and a sizable Vietnamese population settled there in the 1980s. The number of older residents also grew, choosing to stay at Savannah Gardens after raising their children there.
Dramatic change came to Savannah Gardens when the Savannah-Chatham County Board of Education purchased roughly half of the property in 1994. Families were relocated, buildings demolished, and the new Savannah High School erected on the site. The remaining apartments at Savannah Gardens, sold at auction when the management went bankrupt, were renamed Strathmore Estates by new owners. However, the deteriorating buildings were beyond superficial improvements, and the complex was sold again in 2007 to a non-profit community development organization working in partnership with the City of Savannah.
A new 490-unit affordable housing complex will be built where Strathmore Estates once stood, a mix of single-family residences, multi-family housing, and retail shops. It will feature ample green space with parks and squares, as well as traffic-calming elements allowing automobiles, bicycles, and pedestrians to share the road. Homeowners, renters, seniors, and retailers will all have a stake in the complex, which is slated to be completed in 2013 under the name of Savannah Gardens.
5th Street, Tattnall Homes
Georgia Historical Society Photograph Collection, MS 1361-PH, Box 6, Folder 21.
Courtesy of the Georgia Historical Society.
One of the distinctive features of Tattnall Homes was the use of curving streets, evident in this 1950 photograph of homes lining 5th Street.
Playground, Tattnall Homes
The Sou’Easter, 15 August 1944, Vol. 2, No. 11, 5.
Courtesy of Live Oak Public Libraries.
Day care was available for children between the ages of two and six when mothers worked at the shipyard. Children enjoyed the slide and jungle gym at the playground even if they did not care for the daily dose of castor oil doled out every morning.
Boy and dog on scooter
Courtesy of Rick Tindol.
Rick Tindol and Spot try out the scooter Rick made in the back yard of his home in Savannah Gardens in the 1950s.
Boys playing basketball
Photograph by Rickard Burkhart.
Savannah Morning News, 17 February 2009, 1A.
Courtesy of the Savannah Morning News.
These young men from Strathmore Estates will have better recreational facilities for a pick-up game at the new Savannah Gardens.
Strathmore Estates, 2009
Photograph by Geoff L. Johnson.
Courtesy of the City of Savannah Cultural Affairs Department.
Residents of Strathmore Estates participated in the planning for the new Savannah Gardens. At their suggestion, shade trees would remain rather than fall victim to progress.
Kitchen at Strathmore Estates
Photograph by Geoff L. Johnson.
Courtesy of the City of Savannah Department of Cultural Affairs.
One of the apartments at Strathmore Estates in 2009 still had much of the original plumbing and shelving from 1943 still in use. In order to keep alive the history of this housing complex, one duplex will remain standing to serve as a museum.
Elevation of Manor House at Savannah Gardens
Courtesy of the Community Housing Service Agency.
This architectural drawing depicts an example of multi-family housing that will be built at Savannah Gardens.
