The Grey

The Grey

The project was a rehabilitation of the historic Greyhound Bus Depot into a modern bar & restaurant.  The project is located at 109 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard within Savannah’s Historic District.  It was originally designed in the Streamline Moderne style by architect George D. Brown and was constructed between 1937-1939.  It is a rare and excellent example of this style of architecture in Savannah.

The property is now a new restaurant, The Grey.  Our goal was to retain and preserve the historic character of the Greyhound Bus Depot.  The distinctive features, finishes and construction techniques were preserved.  New features matched the old in design, color, and texture.  Replacements of the missing features were substantiated by pictorial and documentary evidence.  All new elements were differentiated from the old but compatible to the historic integrity of the building.  The rehabilitation followed the Secretary of Interim Standards for Rehabilitation.  The project seeks historic tax credits.

The rehabilitation included replication of the historic Blue Vitrolux and Ivory Vitrolite.  These materials are not produced today and were substituted with a glazed cladding as recommended by the National Park Service.  The curved window is a defining characteristic of the front façade which was replicated to match the original, based on photographs and existing window elements still located on site.  The entrance door was replicated based on photos and documentation and the original terrazzo at the front entrance along Martin Luther King Boulevard.  Three additional new doors were installed within the North façade within historic openings.  These doors are similar to the existing but not an exact replication.

New elements included a steel stairway located on the north side of the property.  These modern features are compatible to the original architecture but help differentiate from the historic building.  The original boiler room and women’s restroom have been re-purposed into private dining rooms while the original ticket counter was reconstructed in a way that opens up a view into the kitchen.  Signage, light fixtures and materials were replicated to exhibit the original features of the building.  The canopy was restored with new signage reconstructed to resemble the original.