Plant Riverside District

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Plant Riverside District is a mixed-use development in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Located on historic River Street, the development opened in 2020 after several years of construction. A JW Marriott hotel anchors the development.

History[]

The development was the idea of Richard C. Kessler, the CEO of Kessler Enterprises, who, in the 2010s envisioned a largescale redevelopment of the west end of Savannah's River Street.[1] In August 2019, a large job fair was held to fill approximately 700 job openings.[2] On July 29, 2020, the district was officially opened with a large ribbon-cutting ceremony that included speeches from Georgia Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan and Savannah Mayor Van R. Johnson. According to a press release issued by Kessler, this opening constituted the end of Phase I of the development, with Phase II scheduled to be unveiled in late 2020 and Phase III in early 2021.[3] The development consists of a JW Marriott hotel alongside multiple dining and retail outlets.[1]

Martin Luther King Jr. Monument[]

As part of the development, a monument honoring Martin Luther King Jr. was proposed. The monument, located in a waterfront park in the district, would stand approximately 8 feet (2.4 m) tall and consist of a granite pedestal with engravings on its four sides, topped by a bust of King overlooking the Savannah River. The bust was commissioned from artist Franco Castelluccio, with Kessler paying the $113,540 cost of the monument.[4] By 2021, the pedestal had been completed and put in place, while the bust was scheduled to be installed in 2022.[5]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Sandlin, Cyreia (July 3, 2020). "A look inside Savannah's Plant Riverside District". WTOC-TV. Archived from the original on November 21, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  2. ^ "Plant Riverside to hold job fair". Savannah Morning News. Gannett. August 14, 2019. Archived from the original on December 16, 2019. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  3. ^ "The Kessler Collection Debuts $375 Million Redevelopment Creating Savannah, Georgia's New Entertainment District". PR Newswire. The Kessler Collection. July 29, 2020. Archived from the original on August 1, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2021.CS1 maint: others (link)
  4. ^ Curl, Eric (July 4, 2018). "MLK monument planned as part of $270 million Plant Riverside project". Savannah Morning News. GateHouse Media. Archived from the original on September 16, 2018. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  5. ^ Van Brimmer, Adam (January 15, 2021). "King memorial at Plant Riverside should be first of many honoring African American icons". Savannah Morning News. Gannett. Archived from the original on January 29, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.

External links[]

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