 The refreshing architectural complexity of Savannah’s River Street Inn reflects both the building’s importance in the late 1800s and the pragmatics of the cotton industry. Taking up an entire city block and wrapped around a gorgeous central atrium, the five-story structure first operated as storing, grading and exporting facility for cotton. The floors of the lower two levels were built in 1817 out of recycled ballast stone with wide, arched doorways to accommodate moving large bales of cotton, while the top three floors have floor-to-ceiling windows to allow maximum light into what was once used as office space.
The intricate series of balconies that surround the top three floors—called “Factor’sWalk” after the professionals who graded the cotton—let the workers observe the unloading and loading process. Today the building’s flickering gas lamp and the teal awning over the lobby entrance reinforce the inn’s distinguished past, and all the modern amenities of a luxury hotel are found within. Ideally positioned on a bluff overlooking the Savannah River, the property opened as the River Street Inn in 1986 and its historic and architectural peculiarities—from the many alleyways and balconies overlooking the river and downtown to the cobble-stone streets built from old ships’ ballast stones—exemplifies the many characteristics that make the River Street Inn Savannah’s most alluring lodging option. 1817
Suite: $199.00 to $275.00
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