City releases statement on historical Brown House

Yahoo

06-05-2025

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — The City of Tybee released a statement Tuesday regarding the demolition of the Brown House.
WSAV reported on the demolition permit in March that was submitted to the city of Tybee in February for 803 First Street, also known as the 'Brown House,' a home constructed by a Black business owner in the 1950s.
A demolition permit was submitted by Green Growth 2, LLC in February. Before that, the group purchased the land where the brown house sits through tax sales in 2010 and 2013. Former owner Gail Brown challenged the claim in court and said they failed to follow the proper legal notice requirements. However, while the case was ongoing, Gail died in 2022. No one stepped in to take her place, so the court threw out the decision. The case was sent back down to the lower court.
The City of Tybee Community Development Department issued this statement regarding the why the decision is on ice:
'As the litigation involves an action to determine if the title is clear, and until that action is resolved, the city cannot consider the title clear to issue the requested permit. Per the city attorney, and in accordance with staff practices, a permit cannot be issued if there are issues with the property's title or proof of ownership. This is a standard requirement to ensure that the person or entity applying for the permit is the rightful owner.'
WSAV spoke to Tybee MLK Human Rights Organization Coordinator Julia Pearce as she continues to speak out against the potential demolition after rallying community members back in March.
'We're asking that the citizens of Savannah, Chatham County, pay attention to this issue because this is one of the stops on the Tybee Black History Trail, a brand-new trail that if we lose this house, how many other stops will we lose,' Pearce said. 'Will people say, well, okay, they took themselves off of the trail, then maybe I can get my house taken off the trail, too.'
Pearce said she has spoken with the group claiming ownership.
'The owner said he has no problem with us putting up a permanent marker,' she said. 'The Brown family said that they were satisfied with the permanent marker.'
The property will remain in legal limbo until someone steps in to replace the former owner in this case.
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