Lightning hit the historic home that Savannah College of Art and Design’s president was set to move into, causing massive damage Friday afternoon to the roof and interiors.
By 4 p.m., six fire trucks were on the scene, smoke was billowing from the third floor and front door, and the intersection of Abercorn and Gaston streets had been blocked off by emergency crews.
The home, formerly known as The Granite Steps Inn, was the venue where Clint Eastwood filmed the Married Women’s Card Club scene in his movie “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.” SCAD bought it in 2006. It was built in 1881.
Neighbors and passers-by watch firefighters respond to a fire at the Italianate mansion at 126 E. Gaston St., owned by the Savannah College of Art and Design. Credit: Justin Taylor/The Current GA 
A Savannah firefighter carries equipment into the Italianate mansion at 126 E. Gaston St., owned by the Savannah College of Art and Design. July 12, 2024 in Savannah, GA Credit: Justin Taylor/The Current GA 
Savannah Fire carries a chainsaw to the roof of the Italianate mansion at 126 E. Gaston St., owned by the Savannah College of Art and Design. July 12, 2024 in Savannah, GA Credit: Justin Taylor/The Current GA 
Savannah firefighters work on the roof of the Italianate mansion at 126 E. Gaston St., owned by the Savannah College of Art and Design. Credit: Justin Taylor/The Current GA 
A medical officer watches Savannah firefighters work on the granite steps of the Italianate mansion at 126 E. Gaston St., owned by the Savannah College of Art and Design. Credit: Justin Taylor/The Current GA 
A Savannah firefighter ascends a ladder to fight a fire at the Italianate mansion at 126 E. Gaston St., owned by the Savannah College of Art and Design. Credit: Justin Taylor/The Current GA 
Savannah Fire crews respond to a call at the Italianate mansion at 126 E. Gaston St., owned by the Savannah College of Art and Design. Credit: Justin Taylor/The Current GA 
Savannah Fire extends a ladder to the upper floor of the Italianate mansion at 126 E. Gaston St., owned by the Savannah College of Art and Design. Credit: Justin Taylor/The Current GA 
Smoke comes from upper floor windows of the Italianate mansion at 126 E. Gaston St., owned by the Savannah College of Art and Design. Credit: Justin Taylor/The Current GA 
126 E. Gaston, planned new home for SCAD president Credit: Justin Taylor/The Current
Renovations at 126 E. Gaston Street started in April 2022, according to county property records. Neighbors have watched with interest as workmen have installed unique exterior and interior design details, gossiping at the taste and budget of the future resident, Paula Wallace.
Two residents on the block of East Gaston say that contractors earlier Friday had been working on the audio visual system in the house, and had started moving in furniture. The living area encompasses 9473 square feet, according to property records.
By midafternoon, amid the pouring rain, neighbors heard lightning strike, saw smoke billowing from the top floor and smelled electrical fires. Fire crews later used chainsaws to break through the roof.
Some of those gathered at the scene marveled at the quick response of the Savannah Fire Department, noting that as a nonprofit SCAD was not required to pay fire fees or taxes, like other residents of Chatham County.
SCAD paid approximately $171,000 in property taxes in 2023 for the commercial businesses operating on properties that are part of the nonprofit institution’s $458 million property portfolio. Of its 106 parcels of land, 85% have no property tax bill.
To see more of The Current’s reporting on SCAD click here and here.