A Community Driven Process
Rooted in 11 months of community engagement, nearly 5,000 completed surveys, and hundreds of written comments, the plan is a direct result of feedback from the community and local collaborators regarding the park’s use, design, and amenities. Preservation of the park’s tree canopy, open green space, and historic integrity are top priorities and have guided every step of the process.
The Forsyth Park Master Plan was completed in January 2022. All questions regarding the plan should be directed to the City of Savannah Office of Marketing and Communications.
Project Mission
Initiated a few years ago by Trustees’ Garden Club, the mission of the Forsyth Park Project is the completion of a Master Plan for the park and the nomination of the park as a National Historic Landmark.
Historic Designation
Nominating the park as a National Historic Landmark is under consideration as a goal of the Forsyth Park Project.
National Historic Landmarks are buildings, sites, districts, structures, and objects that have been determined by the Secretary of the Interior to be nationally significant in American history and culture.
Forsyth Park is one of the oldest municipal parks in the country and is historically significant on many levels.
The research and nomination process can take several years. Very few parks have Landmark status; achieving this designation for Forsyth Park will be recognition of its iconic importance to the City of Savannah, the State of Georgia and to the nation as a whole.
Master Plan
Forsyth Park is a priceless asset to Savannah. Over the years as the city and tourism have grown, so have the amount and types of use of the park; in some ways, the park is being loved to death. Creating a Master Plan to act as a guideline for the park’s use and development is the best way to protect this precious asset while also allowing it to evolve to meet the demands of modern life.
The Master Plan Includes
- Historic timeline of the park with local, regional and national context
- The first ever digital topographic survey
- A comprehensive tree survey with health assessment and treatment recommendations
- A lighting and maintenance plan
- A preservation inventory
- Recommendations for furniture, fixtures and pavements
- Project phasing priorities with cost estimates
- A design schematic detailing programming and infrastructure projects
An Inclusive Process
The Forsyth Park Master Plan process includes robust community engagement during each phase of the project. Every community member has the opportunity to play a valuable role in envisioning the future of the park. The goal of the process is a Master Plan that is reflective of the collective vision of the community. Your involvement is critical to the success of the project.