Historic Savannah Cotton Exchange for sale after more than a century and a half

SAVANNAH, Ga. — The historic Cotton Exchange in downtown Savannah is for sale for the first time in more than a century.

The building on Bay Street was at the center of the global cotton market during its peak. Throughout the 1880s, Savannah was ranked among the top merchant trading ports on the Atlantic coast.

The Cotton Exchange now stands in the middle of Savannah’s downtown and remains one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks.

“The woodwork is all hand carved, the stained glass was made specifically for the cotton exchange, coffer ceilings incredibly plaster columns, the detail is beyond compare,” said Dicky Mopper of Engel & Volkers Savannah.

For the last century and a half, the building has housed Solomon’s Lodge No. 1, the oldest Masonic lodge in the western hemisphere.

Lucky Luciano of Solomon’s Lodge No. 1 said the lodge has been in the building since 1976.

According to lodge members, membership is no longer what it once was, a major factor in the decision to sell.

“As beautiful as this place is we understand that this is a necessary aspect in our future,” Luciano said.

The building’s future is yet to be determined, but the building’s representatives say they hope to find a buyer who is history minded.

“I really hope that it can continue to thrive into the future,” said Jeremy Norton of Solomon’s Lodge No. 1.