About this Event
Historic Savannah Foundation (HSF) will host a special discussion about “Transformative Renovation: Regina Coeli Hall” on Thursday, November 21 at the HSF headquarters, located at 321 E. York St., as part of the 2024 Historic Savannah Foundation Lecture Series, “People, Places and Stories That Define Savannah.” Attendees are invited to a wine reception at 5:30 p.m. The lecture will start at 6 p.m.
This event will feature acclaimed architect Christian Sottile, FAIA, the founding principal of Sottile & Sottile, and West Construction Company President Matt West discussing their 2024 HSF Preservation Award-winning renovation of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist’s Regina Coeli Hall. Sottile and West will share how they collaborated with a team of artisans to create a parish hall and adoration chapel befitting the oldest Cathedral Basilica in the state of Georgia.
Dedicated in 1876, the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist has stood as a Savannah landmark for nearly 150 years. Rebuilt and rededicated in 1900 after a fire, the Cathedral was embellished with gilding, murals and stained glass windows. A century later, an extensive interior restoration was completed for the Millennium Jubilee.
Recently, Sottile and West entirely redesigned the space with a focus on traditional craftsmanship and handmade detailing. Their significant renovation resulted in the newly dedicated Regina Coeli Hall, a new space in keeping with the extraordinary material quality, articulation and detailing of the Cathedral above. The hall features entirely new vaulted plaster ceilings, marble from original quarries, oak and walnut flooring, gilded columns and ornate plasterwork.
ABOUT CHRISTIAN SOTTILE
Architect and urban designer Sottile is an expert in civic design, master planning, urban analysis and community-wide engagement. In addition to his professional practice, Sottile serves as a professor of architecture and urban design at The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) and is the former dean of the SCAD School of Building Arts. With advanced degrees from SCAD and Syracuse University, he has earned more than 50 awards, including international recognition from the Congress for the New Urbanism, the American Planning Association and the AIA. He currently serves as the director of AIA Georgia and is a member of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB).
ABOUT MATT WEST
Originally from Moultrie, Ga., West graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in business management and founded West Construction Company in 2014. Over the past 10 years, West Construction Company has received awards from state and national organizations and completed projects for SCAD, Gulfstream Aerospace, The Savannah Country Day School, Tybee Island Marine Science Center, Bouhan Falligant and Senior Citizens, Inc. Active in the community, West currently serves on the board of directors of the Associated General Contractors of Georgia and the YMCA of Coastal Georgia, the Board of Trustees of the Telfair Museums and as a program chair for Leadership Georgia’s class of 2024. He was named to Georgia Trend’s prestigious 40 Under 40 list and earned the Southeast Georgia Leadership Forum’s Emerging Leader Award.
TICKETS
Historic Savannah Foundation’s 2024 Lecture Series is open to the public. Reservations are recommended, as space is limited. Attendance is free for Historic Savannah Foundation members and $15 for non-members. Members and non-members may RSVP by emailing Kendall Graham at [email protected] or calling 912-233-7787, ext. 109.
For more information about the HSF Lecture Series, please visit myhsf.org.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Historic Savannah Foundation Headquarters, 321 East York Street, Savannah, United States
