"Clermont Lee and the Fight for Savannah's Squares"

Historic Savannah Foundation (HSF) will host an informative, engaging lecture titled "Clermont Lee and the Fight for Savannah's Squares" as part of the Historic Savannah Foundation Lecture Series, "The People, Places and Stories that Define Savannah."

In honor of Women's History Month, Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) Preservation Design Professor, designer, and storyteller Sabrinna Cox will recount the remarkable story of iconic Southern landscape architect Clermont Lee (1914-2006). Originally from Savannah, Lee is best known for her influential garden designs at Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace, Isaiah Davenport House, and Owens-Thomas House, and was one of the first women to establish her own private landscape architecture practice in Georgia.

Cox will discuss Lee's lasting impact on Savannah, including her recommendation to round the corners of the city's squares, a practical innovation that helped prevent traffic from cutting through the centers of the squares. Her true legacy lies in her unwavering dedication to historic preservation and the persistent advocacy that ultimately saved Savannah's signature squares from destruction. This HSF Lecture will explore Lee's important contributions as well as the challenges that she faced and overcame in the transformation of Troup Square.

Cox currently teaches preservation design at SCAD, combining instruction with an active professional practice, designing exhibits and digital experiences for organizations like the Bluffton Gullah Cultural Center and A Call to Action. Before becoming a professor at SCAD, Cox served as a preservation designer for the Historic Macon Foundation, where she designed and managed rehabilitation projects in the Beall's Hill neighborhood.

An accomplished designer and prolific storyteller, Cox has also bridged the worlds of theater, decorative arts, and historic preservation over the course of her 24-year career. Her work is defined by a passion for bringing spaces and narratives to life, both on stage and in society, within the context of cultural heritage. As a scenic designer, she has created immersive environments for theatrical productions, including her most recent set design for the Argyle Theatre in Babylon, N.Y.

Historic Savannah Foundation's Lecture Series is open to the public. Reservations are recommended, as space is limited. Attendance is free for Historic Savannah Foundation members and $15 for non-members. Attendees are invited to attend a wine reception at 5:30 p.m. The lecture will start at 6 p.m.