Historic Savannah Foundation Secures Approval for the Kiah Museum on the Georgia Register of Historic Places

PHOTO: The Kiah Museum, a former art museum located at 505 W. 36th St. in Savannah, Ga. and owned by artist, educator and Civil Rights activist Virginia Kiah, was recently named to the Georgia Register of Historic Places.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SAVANNAH, Ga. (May 13, 2024) – Historic Savannah Foundation (HSF) – a leading nonprofit cultural institution dedicated to saving the buildings, places and stories that define Savannah’s past, present and future – recently secured approval for the Kiah Museum, located at 505 W. 36th St. in Savannah’s Cuyler-Brownville Historic District, to be added to the Georgia Register of Historic Places. HSF’s nomination of the former art museum, which offered free admission to  all during the mid-20th century segregation era, was unanimously approved by the Georgia National Register Review Board on Friday, May 3.

“We’re absolutely thrilled that the Kiah Museum has earned a well-deserved place on the Georgia Register of Historic Places,” said Historic Savannah Foundation CEO and President Sue Adler. “In the coming months, we will pursue the property’s inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places and will continue to highlight the Kiah Museum’s historical significance as one of the South’s first Black-owned museums.”

After sitting vacant following Virginia Kiah’s death in 2001 and more than two decades in probate, the Kiah Museum was acquired by the Historic Savannah Foundation as part of HSF’s Revolving Fund, which raises private money to purchase endangered historic properties, sells them to preservation-minded buyers and repeats the cycle. This historic structure, which was included on the Georgia Trust’s 2021 list of “Places in Peril,” is currently being restored by the Galvan Foundation in partnership with the City of Savannah and the African Diaspora Museology Institute. The goal is to re-open the Kiah Museum as a house museum and community space following renovations that are set to begin in Fall 2024.

Sarah Ward and Becki Harkness of Ward Architecture + Preservation in Savannah, Ga., worked with HSF to prepare the nomination and will continue to help the nonprofit ensure the preservation, protection and recognition of this important piece of Savannah’s history.

“It’s been such a rewarding experience working with the Historic Savannah Foundation to nominate this historic property and to uncover the remarkable history of the Kiah Museum,” said Ward, CEO and Preservation Principal at Ward Architecture + Preservation. “We can’t wait to see this property restored and open to the public, just as Virginia Kiah originally intended.”

Virginia Jackson Kiah was an artist, educator and Civil Rights activist who made a lasting impact in Savannah when, after facing barriers to museum entry during segregation, she and her husband Dr. Calvin Kiah, a former Dean of Education at Savannah State College, opened their own home as a museum in 1959, creating a space for Black artists.

In honor of Preservation Month, Ward and Harkness will discuss the process of nominating the Kiah Museum to the National Register of Historic Places and will share the challenges they overcame during the process of researching and preparing the state nomination. The lecture, which is part of the 2024 HSF Lecture Series, “People, Places and Stories That Define Savannah,” will take place on Thursday, May 16 at 6 p.m. at HSF’s headquarters, located at 321 E. York St.

Historic Savannah Foundation’s 2024 Lecture Series is open to the public. Reservations are recommended, as space is limited. Attendance is free for Historic Savannah Foundation members and $15 for non-members. Members and non-members may RSVP by emailing Kendall Graham at [email protected] or calling 912-233-7787, ext. 109.