Historic Savannah Foundation’s lecture series, “People, Places and Stories that Define Savannah,”  will feature lectures covering a wide range of speakers and topics. Each lecturer will give a presentation on a subject that falls within the realm of their expertise followed by a question-and-answer session.

Sarah Ward, Becki Harkness, Mariel Hamer

The Municipal Grand: A Journey in Adaptive Reuse

November 20 | 6:00 PM

HSF is delighted to welcome Sarah Ward, (AICP of Ward Architecture + Preservation), Becki Harkness (Ward Architecture + Preservation), and Mariel Hamer (Lynch Associates Architects), as the November speakers for our lecture series, “The People, Stories, and Places that define Savannah.” Ms. Ward, Ms. Harkness, and Ms. Hamer will be presenting on “The Municipal Grand: A Journey in Adaptive Reuse” on Thursday, November 20 at 6:00 pm.

The lecture will take place in the Murray C. Perlman and Wayne C. Spear Preservation Center located within the Historic Kennedy Pharmacy at 323 E. Broughton Street. Attendees are invited to a wine reception at 5:30 pm and the discussion will start at 6:00 pm. Reservations are recommended, as space is limited. Attendance is free for HSF members and $15 for non-members. Members may RSVP by emailing Kendall Graham at [email protected] or calling 912-233-7787, ext. 109 and non-members may purchase tickets at the link above.

 The Municipal Grand: A Journey in Adaptive Reuse

The rehabilitation of the First Federal Savings & Loan Association Headquarters was a 5 year project including.  It required significant focus on pre-planning and sensitive design in response to changing markets and financing involving multiple owners.  Historic preservation incentives were a driver in all decisions made for the adaptive reuse from a former bank and city office into The Municipal Grand, a mixed-use hotel, bar, and restaurant.  This effort required individual listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and creative design approaches to retain historic features while adapting the building to the new use.  The team will talk about the need for historic preservation tools and incentives to follow preservation best practices and influence designs for new and replacement features.  They will discuss the history of the International style Levy & Kiley designed building, completed in 1961, and the rehabilitation designs and construction.  The Municipal Grand is now fully open and a great place to visit!

Bios

Sarah Ward

Sarah has over 19 years of experience in historic preservation of cultural resources throughout the southeast United States, working with non-profits, government agencies, private firms, and as a consultant. Her experience with design review, the National Register of Historic Places, Historic Rehabilitation Tax Incentives and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act provide a strong foundation for documentation and protection of historic properties and sensitive design approaches to infill and rehabilitation projects.
Sarah often provides education and outreach to government agencies, higher educational institutions, neighborhood organizations, non-profit organizations, and private groups on the benefits of preservation. She serves on the Fox Theatre Institute Preservation Grants Committee and is a member of the American Planning Association, National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Historic Savannah Foundation and the Telfair Museum. Ms. Ward co-authored the chapter on Historic Preservation for the fifth edition of the Handbook for Georgia Mayors and Councilmembers with Malik Watkins of the Carl Vinson Institute of Government.

Sarah’s experience and education exceed the National Park Service Professional Qualification Standards for historic preservation published in the Code of Federal Regulations, 36 CFR Part 61. She received a Bachelor of Liberal Arts Degree in Art History from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, her home state. Following this, she moved to Savannah and received a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Historic Preservation from the Savannah College of Art and Design. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), part of the American Planning Association, and the Georgia Chapter.

She is the proud wife of Josh, parent of two amazing children, and loves to run and play tennis with friends in Savannah.

Becki Harkness

Becki has worked in the Savannah historic preservation and non-profit community for the past 15 years, joining Ward Architecture + Preservation in 2017 to aid the firm with documenting historic structures, historic rehabilitation tax incentives, and historic resource survey work. Specializing in compiling structural histories, genealogical research, and knowledge of historic architectural styles and materials, she is extremely familiar with the breadth of historic resources and archival materials available at local, regional, and federal levels.

Originally from Wichita, Kansas, Becki holds a BFA in Art History from the University of Kansas (1995) and an MFA in Historic Preservation from the Savannah College of Art and Design (2004). An avid traveler, Becki has lived and worked in Germany, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland.

Mariel Hamer

Mariel Hamer is an architect at Lynch Associates Architects, where her work focuses on historic preservation and adaptive reuse. Her portfolio includes numerous projects throughout Savannah, many of which pursue state and federal historic tax credits. She served as Architect of Record for The Municipal Grand and has contributed to Historic Savannah Foundation’s Revolving Fund efforts, including The Kline Grocery. Other notable projects include preservation work at Georgia Historical Society’s Hodgson Hall and SCAD’s Bobbie’s Diner restoration and addition. An active advocate for preservation, Mariel serves on both the City’s Historic District Board of Review and Historic Savannah Foundation’s Architecture Review Committee. She holds a Master and Bachelor of Architecture from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where she also minored in Architectural History and Classical Studies, and continues to advance context-driven design that honors Savannah’s architectural legacy

DON’T MISS OUR UPCOMING LECTURES & TOURS!

Mark your calendar and we hope to see you there!

Attendees are invited to a wine reception at 5:30 p.m. to meet & mingle with HSF members and staff. The discussion will start at 6 p.m.

We take a ‘lecture break’ in July and December.