Renovation timeline is delayed at Savannah's federal courthouse, after last year's partial collapse

Caption

The Tomochichi Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in downtown Savannah, as seen in April 2023.

Credit: Benjamin Payne / GPB News

The federal agency overseeing the renovation of Savannah's historic Tomochichi Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse has added more than another year to its construction timeline, which has been beset by delays since its major project began in September 2021.

The General Services Administration announced this week that construction will be completed in summer 2026, before becoming operational in late 2026 or early 2027.

Construction had previously been scheduled for completion in March 2025, with an anticipated move-in later that summer.

“It was necessary to revise the schedule as a result of the partial floor collapse that occurred in April 2023,” a GSA spokesperson said in a statement, referring to an incident last year which injured three construction workers.

The courthouse — built in the 1890s and named after a Native American chieftain instrumental to the founding of the colony of Georgia — is among Savannah's architectural gems, having been designed in a Renaissance revival style with white marble and elaborate ornamentation.

Occupying an entire city block along two busy streets (Bull and Whitaker) in Savannah's downtown Historic District, the property has been closed since the $90 million renovation project began two-and-a-half years ago, causing traffic disruptions to the dismay of local residents and business owners.

Most federal court hearings in Savannah have since taken place at an office building along Chatham Parkway on the city's west side, about 4 miles away.

“GSA continues to prioritize the safety of those working on the site as well as nearby businesses and residences,” the agency's statement continued. “We recognize the importance of this historic building to the community and we look forward to completing the project.”

Headquarters of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Georgia — which has jurisdiction over 43 counties, including Savannah's Chatham County — remains downtown, three blocks north of the courthouse.