Why it matters
Elbert Square is named for General Samuel Elbert, a Revolutionary War commander who later served as Governor of Georgia. The square sits in the western ward and, unlike most of its neighbors, suffered from twentieth-century development pressure that altered its original form.
The square is a useful case study in Savannah's preservation history. The city lost several squares to development before the Historic Savannah Foundation and other preservation efforts reversed that trend. Ellis Square — demolished in 1954 and rebuilt in 2010 — is the more famous example, but Elbert Square tells a quieter version of the same story.
Savannah's grid survived because people chose to save it.