When it rained, water would run down the inner walls due to the deteriorated structural conditions, and mushrooms would grow in the shadowy areas, endangering the health of the district’s administrative personnel and residents. Meanwhile, the property’s value skyrocketed, reaching $18 million in 2024.
Sarah Peacock is credited.
Sarah Peacock is credited.
Due to the exigency of the situation, the school board decided in December to convert 208 into the Bull Street Center for Architecture and Design, a specialty education program centered on architecture, urban planning, and historic preservation. The building refurbishment is expected to be finished in 2030 and will cost at least $85 million.
However, hotelier Richard Kessler, a potential buyer of the property, publicly voiced his disapproval with the board’s decision after administrative personnel left 208 this summer. The main focus of Kessler’s demonstrations is his plan to purchase the land at fair market value and invest an extra $130 million to turn it into a museum of Smithsonian caliber. To raise money for the museum, he would also construct a fine dining restaurant and a 90-room boutique hotel on the property.
In early 2024, Kessler responded to a request for redevelopment concepts from the school board, sharing his vision with them. Before the Bull Street Center for Architecture and Design was established, Kessler’s proposal was neither made public nor even brought up in board talks regarding 208’s future.
Until the main funding source for the 208 renovation was obtained through an education special purpose local option sales tax vote (ESPLOST), Kessler’s plan and six other responses—including one from a group involved in Atlanta’s Ponce City Market redevelopment in the early 2010s—were made public.
President Roger Moss and other board members support the procedure. Instead of being a request for proposals that would need presentations and public approval, the redevelopment answers were a part of an informational request. Additionally, Kessler’s submission and the others were exempt from the Georgia Open Records Act until after the ESPLOST decision because 208’s future was a real estate concern. The purpose of the exemption is to avoid unjust advantages or interruptions to ongoing business dealings.
Kessler believes that the board purposefully avoided discussing other proposals for 208 by reviewing his and the others’ plans behind closed doors.
If the public were aware of the details of this transaction, I believe they would be furious and would tell Kessler to “stop what you’re planning to do and do this instead.” This museum is essential.
Sarah Peacock is credited.
Sarah Peacock is credited.
Museum vs. education center
One of the most prosperous merchants in Savannah’s history is Kessler. He made his wealth half a century ago by assisting his mentor, Cecil Day, in founding Days Inn, one of the earliest low-cost motel chains in America. He was born in the city and grew up in the neighboring county of Effingham. When the business sold for $300 million in 1984, he had substantial equity and was a full partner.
With his Kessler Collection of hotels, which includes the $375 million renovation of a century-old power station on the Savannah riverfront, he went on to pioneer the premium boutique hotel market.
The exquisite artwork and antiquities on display in meeting rooms, lobbies, and other public spaces are a defining feature of Kessler’s hotels. Kessler claims to be a collector of exquisite items, including dueling pistols, arrowheads, paintings, sculptures, fossils, and watches. He has four warehouses filled with his collection. With 55 galleries showcasing both his own treasures and those on loan from other collectors worldwide, he sees 208 as the Savannah Collectors Museum.
In the weeks since Kessler’s design was made public, a number of school board members have praised his museum concept as stunning and motivational. They stated that they were certain Kessler could have created a top-notch museum at 208. However, they also admitted that most board members were unwilling to vote in favor of selling the property.
Sarah Peacock is credited.
Sarah Peacock is credited.
Board members were encouraged to thoroughly examine alternate uses for 208 in part by the information solicitation. These included outright sales and public-private partnerships, which would bring in at least $18 million for district priorities and bring a valuable site back into the property tax system, which would bring in much more money for the school system.
One of the board’s more recent members, Denise Grabowski, proposed the specialty architecture and design program concept during a debate about 208’s future in August 2024. The property served as a living classroom due to its central placement in the historic area, which is one of the best examples of a well-planned city in America. Students from any school in the district may be able to participate in the program.
The idea addressed financing the upgrades, which was the primary obstacle to 208’s reconstruction. In recent decades, Savannah-Chatham has used ESPLOST, a 1% sales tax on the majority of services and goods bought in the county, to remodel or construct dozens of new schools. However, the land must be used for educational purposes in order for ESPLOST to be utilized for capital projects.
The decision to establish the Bull Street Center for Architecture and Design was made at the perfect moment, as an ESPLOST vote was scheduled for March 2025.
Moss, the president of the school board, stated, “I love this idea, and we’re in the education business.” For practical reasons, I was previously in the sell camp since I couldn’t see how to finance such a costly enterprise. However, this new course aligns with my mindset.
Sarah Peacock is credited.
Sarah Peacock is credited.
Renewed push by Kessler
The Bull Street Center for Architecture and Design has been allocated around 12 percent of the anticipated ESPLOST profits. The district has set aside money from the sale of surplus properties to make up the difference if the 208 facelift costs more than $85 million.
Kessler believes there will be large cost overruns for the 208 renovation. The work is anticipated to involve costly lead paint and asbestos remediation, and district executives have admitted that surprises lie behind those walls.
Before building starts in September 2026, Kessler wants the school board to reevaluate his concept for a Savannah Collectors Museum.
Sarah Peacock is credited.
Sarah Peacock is credited.
He has volunteered to add educational components to the museum and allow the school board to use a portion of the space for events and meetings.
“What they are considering is going to fail, which means that more money will be wasted, time will be lost, and opportunity will be lost,” he stated. Usually, these possibilities present themselves in a straight line, and if you don’t seize them while they’re there, they’ll pass you by.
According to Moss, it is already decided to convert 208 into the Bull Street Center for Architecture and Design. He and other school board members claim that Kessler’s fresh attempt ignores a crucial aspect of the 208 debate: that the site is the most notable district-owned building in the city center and the birthplace of public education in Savannah.
Students would be less exposed to the historic district and the school district’s downtown presence would be diminished if 208 were sold to Kessler or another developer. The converse is true of a program like the Bull Street Center for Architecture and Design.
Grabowski, the school board member and expert urban planner who sowed the seeds for the new vision for 208, stated, “I’d love to see what Mr. Kessler is wanting to do in Savannah, but not at the expense of our students.”
Sarah Peacock is credited.
Sarah Peacock is credited.
