Bull Street Commons

The History The Bull Street Commons

Bull Street Commons was located at 2913 Bull Street, Savannah, Georgia within the Norwood Ward. The structure was composed of three separate buildings (five separate dwellings), 2909 Bull Street, 2911 - 2913 Bull Street, and 4-6 West 46th Street (also known as Pearl Street). The buildings were combined with two hyphen additions to create one structure which adopted the address of 2909 - 2913 Bull Street.

Area Development

In 1884, an advertisement in the Savannah Morning News noted 18 acres of land for sale in “Kingsville” upon the passing of Rev. Charles B. King in 1880. Little is known of the use of the land and when it was divided into lots. The land was likely used for production of goods prior to 1880. The 1860 U.S. Federal Census Slave Schedule lists King’s 10 enslaved people living at White Bluff Road (Bull Street today).

Historically the neighborhood was known as Kingsville and more recently as Bingville. The first time Kingsville shows up on a map is on the 1875 Chatham County State of Georgia Survey Map by Charles G. Platen.

In the 1891 Birds Eye View, Kingsville is shown with modest houses and buildings, and much of the surrounding area is undeveloped. By 1906, Kingsville had been incorporated into the newly extended city limits. The Kingsville neighborhood has historically been home to Black and working class residents. As the area developed, this trend continued, although many buildings fronting Bull Street transitioned into commercial businesses. Eventually, Bull Street became a thoroughfare of separation between white middle-upper class on the east side and Black working class residents on the west side.

Sunnyside was a majority African American subdivision bounded by 44th Street to the north, 46th Street to the south, by Habersham to the east, and Bull to the west. This location is now the northwestern corner of Ardsley Park. The federal government planned a hospital complex with a surrounding neighborhood of 250 homes in early 1898 to support the Spanish-American War effort. The hospital never materialized, but Horace Rivers developed the small neighborhood into the affordable Sunnyside suburb for working class residents. The two, three, and four-bedroom houses for rent included newly-built water lines to every lot. African American residents made up the majority of the population, with just a small number of white residents in the suburb. It did not take long for the homes to be rented, newspaper ads advertising residences available in Sunnyside had ceased by 1901.

As the city continued to expand, Sunnyside became an attractive location for more development. Rivers ended up selling a portion of Sunnyside to allow north-south streets to extend past Estill Avenue (today’s Victory Drive). In 1910, Germania Bank foreclosed upon Sunnyside. The real estate development company of brothers Harry Hays Lattimore and William Lattimore purchased the properties with the intention of demolishing Sunnyside and developing Ardsley Park. With this development what was once an attractive neighborhood for African Americans became a neighborhood exclusive to middle and upper class white residents, with explicit racial and social covenants on the property deeds.

Structure Timeline

Bull Street Commons remained residential for most of its life. In 1950, the building became a furniture store after all of the buildings were connected by additions. During the time businesses occupied the building, some of the space continued to be rented out as a residence. Below is the 1916 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map showing buildings before they were connected by hyphen additions. By this time, the rear porch of 2909 Bull Street had been enclosed and the front porch of 2911-2913 Bull Street had been altered. 4 - 6 Pearl Street is shown as having a shingle roof and 2909 - 2913 are shown as having composite roofs.

The 1950 Sanborn Map shows 4 - 6 Pearl Street and 2911 - 2913 Bull Street connected by a hyphen addition. 2911 - 2913 Bull Street is shown to have been altered on the interior. The party wall was demolished and a new wall and opening built. This new wall location was shifted slightly north of the original party wall. 4 - 6 Pearl Street is shown as now having a metal roof. 2911 - 2913 Bull Street is now being used as a furniture store.

2911 BULL ST

1910 - C.H. Dorsett sold property to Jesse Beech
(Owner) C.H. Dorsett

1910 - Jesse Beech (Owner)
(Resident) Jesse Beech
(Resident) Cyrus and Jane Williams and children - Davis, Peter, and Thomas (son-in-law) (c)

1911 (Resident) Lou Williams (c); Peter (occupation: Laborer) and Lula Williams (c)

1913 - 1914 (Owner) (Resident) Jesse (occupation: Laborer) and Lucy Beech (c)

1916 (Resident) Sarah Williams (c)

1917 (Resident) “Tall” Cyrus Marshal (c)

1918 (Resident) Henry Grant

1918 - 1922 (Resident) William and Hester Thomas (c)

1923 - 1930 (Owner) Jesse Beech (c);
(Resident) Hester and Mattie Beach (Beech (c)

1932 - 1934 (Resident) Esther Beach (c)

1939 - John Rourke (Owner)
John Rourke

1940 - 1948 (Resident) Jessie Beach (c)

1948 - Karl Derst purchased property from John Rourke (Owner)
Karl Derst

1950 Karl Derst Furniture Inc.