Walt Disney Imaginations Competition - Semifinalist

Project Brief

Create an iconic installation on your campus or city that serves as an inspiration, honors the past, and is a vision of the future. It can be architectural, ornamental, static, active, whatever your team feels is the best way to represent your unique chosen location. It can be intimate or grandiose, but it should always be appropriate for the location selected. In telling the very unique story of your chosen spot, it should respect and integrate local traditions and geography. Your icon should be a place to gather and celebrate, as well as reflect and educate the community. A concept that will go down in history as symbolic of your campus or city.

The Greene’s Table is an immersive homestead dedicated to all visitors to gather and rediscover the rich flavorful history of Savannah, Georgia. Located on the corner of modern day Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard and West 31st Street, The Greene’s Table celebrates the Low-country through honoring its history and becoming a leading example of how a community can reunite.

The home was once owned by the Greene’s, a well known family that was a staple on West Broad Street for gathering, sharing and celebrating within the community. They captured these memories with photos and stories tucked within their family scrapbook. However, as time passed, the Greene’s home grew vacant. In the 1950’s, Beatrice and her husband stumbled upon the homestead and fell in love with its charm. As they began repairs, Beatrice discovered the Greene’s scrapbook and felt inspired to restore the home to what it once was: a gathering destination for the entire community. Keeping the family’s legacy alive, Beatrice named the residence The Greene’s Table.

Though the growth of major roads made Savannah blossom, the amount of traffic guided into downtown led people away from the businesses of West Broad Street. During this turbulent time, Beatrice lost her husband and was alone trying to continue the restoration. Nevertheless, she offered her heart, home and a warm meal to anyone affected by a similar fate. As neighbors took notice, they began to spread the word of Beatrice’s kindness throughout the community. Full of hope, Savannah joined together to help restore the entire house. The Greene’s Table became a gathering destination to celebrate with food, trade, and knowledge.

Guests can roam the property interacting with the rooms that the Greene’s once used and were then restored by Beatrice. Come gather around the table and join together for a hearty, Low-country meal straight from the Greene’s old recipes.

Journey upstairs to Beatrice’s personal Library and explore the trinkets and books left by the prior family. Wander into the Study and peer into the past, taking a moment to read through the scrapbook and see what has been added to its pages.

Just beyond our porch steps, guests can interact with our gardeners in the Greenhouse and local vendors at our Farmer’s Market, learning about Beatrice’s effort to alleviate Western Savannah’s food desert while replenishing the local economy. Explore the community garden that grows all of the fresh produce used in our restaurant and helps the ecology of Savannah. Share stories around the fire pits out back as the warm sun sets over the homestead while making memories that will last a lifetime.

The Greene’s Table is a genuine celebration of Savannah’s most beloved characteristics. Food and community shape the intimate experience that ties all people together and reunites a once lost key of the iconic southern city. Savannah’s “Auntie Bea” welcomes everyone because there will always be an open seat at our family table.

Disclaimer

The project was conceived by the Team The Greene’s Table from Savannah College of Art and Design and created for the 2020 Walt Disney Imagineering’s Imaginations Design Competition - This project is the sole property of Walt Disney Imagineering and all rights to use these ideas are exclusive to Walt Disney Imagineering - The competition is a way for students and recent graduates to showcase their talents and for Walt Disney Imagineering to identify new talent.