Queensborough National Bank & Trust bought the former Southern Motors Acura dealership at 402 E. Broughton St. for more than $3.8 million in February 2025. The 1966 building, most recently home to Savannah Repertory Theater's black box stage, has "limitations" that ruled out a renovation, according to regional president Michael English, so the bank is building new.
The Historic District Board of Review approved demolition in September 2025 with conditions to document the building and salvage materials where feasible.
Architect Rose Architects then took the new design through Historic District Board of Review review starting in December 2025: a four-story building, ground floor for the bank branch, an office lobby and covered parking with a drive-through, upper floors of office space, and a partial fourth story with a multipurpose room and roof terrace.
The Oglethorpe Plan Coalition formally opposed the February design, arguing the amount of glass, especially at the second floor, and the requested special exception to the two-story corner setback didn't meet the city's Design Standards or Visual Compatibility Criteria. Savannah Morning News reported the project won final approval the week of August 17, following revisions through a June hearing.
Why it matters
A downtown corner that's sat mostly vacant for years, first as a closed dealership, briefly as a black-box theater, is about to become new construction, and it only got there after a preservation group forced real design changes through four rounds of historic review.
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