The former Estill-O’Connor residence at 111 West Gwinnett Street was rehabilitated from 2016 through 2019 to serve as an income producing property. The owners sought out this Italianate Revival residence near Forsyth Park as a long-term investment allowing them to take advantage of state and federal tax incentives available for substantial rehabilitations to historic properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
This residence was constructed in 1882 for William Estill Jr., a prominent Savannah businessman and whose family owned the Savannah Morning News. In 1909, Edwin Francis O’Connor purchased the property and with his wife, Mary Elizabeth, raised their eight children in the home. Soon after, his son, E.F. O’Connor Jr. would start his own family and soon become the father to Mary Flannery O’Connor, American novelist and writer. The property is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing building to the Savannah Victorian National Register District.
Sarah Ward and Susannah Bull with Ward Architecture + Preservation researched and documented the property to retain and preserve all historic character features. They worked with Sottile & Sottile and JAK Homes to ensure that the preservation designs and methods would meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. The project was completed in 2019 and federal and state tax credits totaling 45% of the qualified rehab expenses were obtained in additional to a 8.5 year property tax freeze.