Historic Broughton Street Getting Extreme Makeover

ATLANTA—Ben Carter Enterprises is serious about revitalizing the Savannah Historic District's Broughton Street. The company acquired 27 properties on the strip and renovation and restoration work is underway on 26 of them. One building will be demolished, pending approval from the city.

Carter's vision is to bring Broughton back to a vibrant community with art, music, and cultural events. Broughton Street's retail offerings will be divided into districts: fashion, casual fashion, contemporary, and lifestyle. The retailers and restaurateurs will be clustered in areas of the street based on style, ranging from upscale to bohemian.

“Our goal is to attract the best retailers and chef-driven restaurants to downtown Savannah,” says Ben Carter, founder of Carter. “The area has deep history and inherent charm already, and we look forward to bringing the street back to its former glory and vitality. We will give both residents and tourists a new reason to come downtown, by making Broughton Street a place with beautiful streetscapes where you can visit, stroll, shop, dine and just be.”

As part of Carter's $75 million project, a substantial portion of the funding is set aside to make sure buildings are returned to a structurally sound state and made up-to-date with life-and-fire-safety regulations. The team is cleaning out several buildings that have not been occupied in 50 years and has found artifacts that exhibit the important role the properties play in Savannah's history, including the discover of a 1940s Certificate of Appreciation to the President of the Lion's Club in 25 East Broughton Street.

“What Ben Carter is doing in Savannah is a huge undertaking and shows he has made a commitment that previous Broughton Street landlords have been unwilling or unable to do,” says Karen Guinn, a member of the Carter team. “Ben could have acquired the properties and filled them with tenants without upgrading the properties. But that's not the way he works. He cares about improving the communities where he does business. Also, he recently moved into an apartment right on Broughton.”

Guinn notes that the team is not building a project that will have one grand opening. It is renovating a district. The progress and the milestones will be rolling, with a steady stream of openings between now and March 2015. Carter is already inking letters of intent for leases, including a 30,000-square-foot spot with an international retailer that sells high-fashion apparel at affordable prices.

“The retailer we are working with is at the top of the list for an anchor department store in urban areas around the world,” Carter says. “They have prominent locations in DC, New York, and London and now they want to be here, in Savannah. That speaks volumes for this city and for Broughton Street. Historically Broughton Street has housed famous department stores such as Sears, J.C. Penny and Belk. It is my sincere hope that the people of Savannah will understand how important a retail anchor like this is to urban revitalization.”

The team also announced J. Crew, L'Occitane, and The Ancient Olive will open their first Savannah store in Carter properties on historic Broughton Street. All told, the Broughton portfolio consists of 200,000 square feet of retail and restaurant spaces along Broughton Street between Jefferson and Drayton streets. Carter Enterprises also plans to turn the upper floors of the recently acquired street spaces into approximately 100 urban-style loft apartments, offices and creative spaces for students and young professionals.