After months of lovingly restoring the historic Bryson building on Chippewa Square, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Bay Street Realty Group and Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Cora Bett Thomas Realty is happily growing as it moves into its new Georgia corporate headquarters located at 5 East Perry Street in downtown Savannah, Georgia. The South Carolina headquarters is located at 701 Bay Street in the historic Fordham building.

Local designer Jerome Elder, CEO of J. Elder Studio, was selected by Bay Street Realty Group and Cora Bett Thomas Realty to oversee both the design and construction of this project. Elder has been recognized regionally for his historic preservation and design work at several of Savannah’s most beautiful and eclectic homes and restaurants, including Ele Tran Cuisine’s Little Duck Diner, Flock to the Wok, and Coco & Moss. Elder selected Heritage Construction as the project contractor.

Working alongside longtime Savannah real estate maven Cora Bett Thomas, known for her pioneer efforts in redeveloping historic Savannah, Elder strove to preserve the building’s original architectural details including the scrolling ironwork that climbs the curved staircase and trims the mezzanine railing, the geometric plaster molding that covers the walls, beams and columns and the coffered tin ceiling. Thomas reimagined the space as a charming and elegant Savannah home parlor, recalling the space’s fine architectural details, with respect to the building’s heralded local history and now it’s next chapter as home to the largest real estate company in the region.

“From the moment I heard we were able to get this remarkable building for our new headquarters, I knew it would be the perfect setting to showcase what our area is all about – preserving the beauty of a bygone age while incorporating an eclectic mix of fresh and new elements,” Thomas said.

Originally built in 1904, the Bryson building first housed the TA Bryson Automobile Garage, the name is still inscribed in distinctive Art Nouveau copper lettering on the building’s red brick façade. As the first dealership in the south and one of the first in the country, Thomas Archer Bryson paved his way into Savannah’s history by selling luxury Packard automobiles to Savannah’s elite. The space was transformed into the upscale women’s clothing store, Town & Country, in the 1960s and ’70s before becoming a wedding and reception center known as Bryson Hall.

To update the space, Elder started with a clean, soft white coat of paint to accentuate the plaster details and the tin ceiling and installed black and white cross pattern tile floor inspired by the original damaged flooring found during demolition. 

“This downtown landmark has enjoyed many lives in its 116-year history,” Elder said. “The imperfections are part of what tells its unique story.”

Part of that story is original wood-framed swivel windows discovered behind a layer of drywall during demolition. Elder repurposed the windows on the mezzanine level to overlook the grand entry space. The windows are enhanced with glass wall partitioned offices on the first floor giving the area both scale and proportion.

The floor-to-mezzanine plantation shutters separate the grand entry from the interior meeting rooms while the floor to ceiling palms connect the interior to the natural beauty just steps away on Chippewa Square.

“We’re happy to start this new chapter of our growing company in a historically restored space that offers all the great modern conveniences,” said Will Thurman, the broker in charge of Bay Street Realty Group and Cora Bett Thomas Realty.

For more information about Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Bay Street Realty Group and Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Cora Bett Thomas Realty, visit their website at baystreetrealtygroup.com.