Savannah globe property moves closer to redevelopment after sale to Parker's
Katie NussbaumPlans presented by Parker’s for the property surrounding Savannah’s iconic globe structure in midtown are moving closer to reality after the convenience store chain purchased the property last month. The $4.7 million sale of the 3.4 acre site closed on July 26, according to public records.
Parker’s presented a general development plan to the Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC) last September. The plan, which was approved, included a Parker’s near the site of the globe.
Other aspects of the plan included a quick service restaurant on the corner of DeRenne and White Bluff and coffee shop on the eastern side of the property.
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Following community outcry for the globe to be preserved, the company submitted a revised plan to the MPC in November, which relocated the Parker’s to the eastern side of the property. The spot that includes the globe is listed as "future development."
A spokesperson for Parker’s said the company will Parker's will share plans for the globe site when appropriate. A timeline wasn't disclosed.
The revised November plan kept the quick service restaurant, shown as a Chick-Fil-A, at the corner of DeRenne and White Bluff. The coffee shop wasn’t included on the plan.
The sphere was erected by the Savannah Gas Co. in 1957 as an emergency holding station for natural gas. Two years later, it was painted like the Earth, with a big arrow pointing to Savannah. The original design was painted by James Ellison and Leo Berkemeier of Turner Outdoor Advertising Co.
Once called the largest of its kind in the world — 60 feet in diameter — the globe was operable until the 1970s and was maintained by the gas company until the early ’90s.
A to Z Coating bought the structure in early 1998 from Savannah Gas Co. and repainted the globe to resemble what Earth looks like from space.
Prior to Parker's purchasing the property, the site was most recently owned by Lewis Commercial Properties LLC.
Katie Nussbaum is the city and county government reporter for the Savannah Morning News. Contact her at knussbaum@savannahnow.com. Twitter: KmartSMN