The Number Nine renovation project transformed a dilapidated commercial strip center & corner building ­— once home to the City of Savannah cultural arts center, and an adjacent Walgreens-turned-law office — into a modern, energy efficient, functional learning environment for SCAD School of Fashion students. Located on Henry Street, one block east of Eckburg Hall, home of the acclaimed and expanding SCAD School of Fashion, the building infuses technology with a new introspective building parti and modern building details that hearken back to the original commercial aesthetic. Before-and-after photos show a stunning conversion from a dark, unkempt, uninviting space with a drab and depressing exterior to the bright, open, and airy academic building it now is.

Originally built as a retail store in 1930 and expanded in the 1960s with an attached structure, the buildings were in poor condition when SCAD acquired the block in 2018.

After SCAD consulted with fashion program faculty and department chairs on a course of action, the adaptation and renovation began in January 2019. Plans called for combining the two buildings to improve the use of space, including the addition of a digital textile printing center and finishing room dubbed Nine Lab, five sewing studios, two sketch rooms, two lecture rooms, a conference room, lounge area, computer lab, vending area with custom-designed coffee machine, and miscellaneous rooms required for a modern functioning building.

As with all SCAD renovation projects, the plan also called for increased energy efficiency. A new energy-compliant insulated roof, new energy efficient HVAC systems, and LED lighting were installed. New windows and an updated façade return Number Nine’s exterior look to the storefronts of its past, drawing in natural light to the classrooms and sketch rooms. The fashionable lobby, replete with mannequins, oiled teak wood, and terrazzo tile, evokes the building’s original flooring and the feel of a high-end fashion boutique.