Designed by famed Boston architect William Gibbons Preston (1842-1910), the Savannah Cotton Exchange is one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks. It represents a time when Savannah was the leading cotton market in the United States and second in the world. In that sense, it was as important to the cotton industry then as the New York Stock Exchange is to the financial industry today. It’s one a few structures in the world to be built over a street (Factor’s Walk). Since closing its doors after the decline of the cotton trade, it has been home to the Savannah Chamber of Commerce and more notably the Freemasons, who have used it as Solomon’s Masonic Lodge since 1976. It is not open to the public, but remains one of the most photographed places in Savannah. Nearly as memorable as the structure itself is the fountain out front, representing a  gryphon (griffin), or winged lion. Damaged by a car in 2008, the original was replaced in 2010.

National Register of Historic Places