Abercorn Common is a

shopping center A shopping center in American English, shopping centre in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English (see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, spelling differences), shopping complex, shopping arcade, ...

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. The center was the first retail center in the U.S. to become

LEED Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a Green building certification systems, green building certification program used worldwide. Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it includes a set of rating ...

-certified, meaning its design incorporates efficiency with attractive buildings and public spaces. The buildings and public spaces resemble Savannah's downtown historic district, with awnings, brick facades, fountains and brick-paved sidewalks. Palm trees, pampas grasses and willow trees are among the natural features. The shopping center dates back to the 1960s, when Abercorn Street was extended to form Abercorn Expressway. At the time, it was one of the first establishments on Savannah's southside, and now it forms the primary shopping corridor of Savannah. Located within several hundred feet are other major shopping centers, including:

Oglethorpe Mall Oglethorpe Mall is a super-regional shopping mall on the south side of Savannah, Georgia. Named after General James Oglethorpe, the founder of Savannah, the mall has expanded since its opening in 1969 to nearly one million square feet. Among it ...

, Oglethorpe Plaza anchored by

Best Buy Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American multinational consumer electronics retailer headquartered in Richfield, Minnesota. Originally founded by Richard M. Schulze and James Wheeler in 1966 as an audio specialty store called Sound of Music, it was r ...

and

Kohl's Kohl's Corporation (Kohl's is stylized in all caps) is an American department store retail chain store, chain. currently has 1,165 locations, operating stores in every U.S. state except Hawaii. The company was founded by Polish immigrant Maxwe ...

, and Chatham Plaza anchored by World Market and

Ross Dress For Less Ross Stores, Inc., operating under the brand name Ross Dress for Less, is an American chain of discount department stores headquartered in Dublin, California. It is the largest off-price retailer in the U.S.; as of July 2024, Ross operates 1,795 ...

History

Abercorn Common opened in 1968 as Abercorn Plaza. At a mere , the Southside Savannah shopping center would grow to nearly . The center was originally anchored by M&M (Melaver and Melaver) Supermarkets. In the 1970s, the center was expanded to include Sam Solomon and later

Service Merchandise Service Merchandise was a retail chain of catalog showrooms carrying jewelry, toys, sporting goods and electronics. The company, which first began in 1934 as a five-and-dime store, was in existence for 68 years before ceasing operations in 2002 ...

and

Western Auto Western Auto Supply Company—known more widely as Western Auto—was a Chain store, specialty retail chain of stores that supplied auto part, automobile parts and accessories operating approximately 1,200 stores across the United States ...

. In 1985 the M&M Supermarket chain was sold to Kroger, but the Melaver family retained ownership of the buildings. The Abercorn Plaza M&M closed in 1991 when the chain was entirely folded into Kroger. A larger store nearby replaced it. The store, vacant barely a year, was converted into

Books-A-Million Books-A-Million, Inc., also known as BAM!, is a bookstore chain in the United States, operating 260 stores in 32 states. Stores range in size from 4,000 to 30,000 square feet and sell books, magazines, manga, collectibles, toys, technology, a ...

and

Michael's Michaels Stores, Inc., doing business as Michaels, is an American privately held arts and crafts retail chain. It is North America's largest provider of arts, crafts, framing, floral and wall décor, and merchandise for makers and do-it-yoursel ...

in 1992. Service Merchandise was downsized in the early 2000s and was split into two units. Also in early 2000 Melaver Inc. returned to their sustainable roots. Sustainability in Savannah was nudged forth by Melaver when they renovated their downtown Whitaker Building and made it LEED-NC.

LEED

Under the LEED program, Abercorn Plaza was enlarged into a more energy-efficient center. Using such features as reflective roofs, water conserving appliances (i.e. sinks and toilets) and the use of low-

volatile organic compound Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are organic compounds that have a high vapor pressure at room temperature. They are common and exist in a variety of settings and products, not limited to Indoor mold, house mold, Upholstery, upholstered furnitur ...

s (VOC) (i.e., ''paints and sealants''), the center became LEED silver-certified. There is also a cistern located behind the building that collects of water retained from the roof and parking lot. The water is treated and used for irrigation purposes. Eighty-five percent of construction and demolition debris was recycled. In some cases old bricks became pavers engraved with names for a fee. The money was donated to The Coastal Georgia Land Trust and the Savannah Tree Foundation. The new center features front-end parking spaces reserved for hybrid-model cars only. McDonald's became LEED-Gold in September 2006 and is the first LEED McDonald's worldwide.

Post 2006 Renovation

The project began in 2004 with the demolition of Service Merchandise, Western Auto and Beneficial. Neighboring car dealerships were also purchased and demolished, while salvaging all building materials. The land area gained became a triangle at the intersection of three streets: Abercorn Expressway, White Bluff Road and Fairmont Avenue. The remaining shopping center was remodeled. New buildings were constructed including a Circuit City and more general-lease areas. Shops 600 came on line in early 2007 and was certified LEED-Silver.

References

{{Shopping malls in Georgia (U.S. state) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design basic silver certified buildings Shopping malls in Savannah, Georgia Shopping malls established in 1968 Tourist attractions in Savannah, Georgia 1968 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)