SESAH Annual Conference

Savannah, Georgia

September 30 – October 3, 2026

The 2026 SESAH Conference will be held in Savannah, Georgia, from October 1-3. 

Conference Registration

To register for the conference and purchase tickets to the study tours, please click this link.

 

Schedule Overview

Wednesday, September 30 — SESAH Board Meeting

4-7 PM (Eastern), Kiah Hall conference room, 227 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Savannah, GA 31401. Kiah Hall is immediately east of the SCAD Museum of Art (conference venue), two blocks south of the Fairfield Inn (conference hotel).
 

Thursday, October 1 — Tours day

    • Multiple tours in and around Savannah
    • Welcome Reception — SCAD Gutstein Gallery (former Levy’s Department store, 1953)– 5:30pm
    • Keynote Address — SCAD Trustees Theatre (former Weis Theatre, 1946) — 6:30pm
      • Dr. Despina Stratigakos, SUNY Distinguished Professor, Department of Architecture, University at Buffalo, “Feminist Architectural History: The Power of Collaborative Action”
 

Friday, October 2 — Paper Sessions day 1 — SCAD Museum of Art (former Central of Georgia Up-Freight Warehouse, 1853; adaptive rehabilitation 2008-11)

    • 9am — opening plenary session – SCAD Museum of Art Theatre
    • 10am — Newcomers session – SCAD Museum of Art Theatre
    • 10:30 — paper sessions – SCAD Museum of Art classrooms
    • Lunch
    • Afternoon sessions – SCAD Museum of Art classrooms
 

Saturday, October 3 — Paper Sessions day 2 — SCAD Museum of Art

    • Morning paper sessions – SCAD Museum of Art classrooms
    • Business Lunch — SCAD Poetter Hall (former Savannah Volunteer Guards Armory, 1892)
    • Afternoon paper session – SCAD Museum of Art classrooms
    • Concluding plenary session, “Alternative Narratives: Archives, Ghosts, and Digital History in the History of Place”  – SCAD Museum of Art Theatre
      • Panelists:
        • Dr. Alena Pirok, Assistant Professor, History Department, SUNY-Cortland
        • Dr. Scott Nesbitt, Associate Professor, College of Environment and Design, University of Georgia
        • Luciana Spracher, Director, City of Savannah Municipal Archives
    • Closing reception — SCAD Museum of Art courtyard
 

Conference Hotel 

The Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites in downtown Savannah will serve as the conference hotel. Located in the historic district at 135 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, the modern hotel offers free wifi, complimentary breakfast, a pool, 24-hour fitness center, a convenience store, and more. The hotel is less than 2 blocks from the SCAD Museum of Art, where most of the conference events will be held. A local shuttle stop is just around the corner from the hotel. 
 
Click here to reserve your room at the special discounted rate of  $189.00 $159.00 per night (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday) and $189.00 (Friday and Saturday). You must book by September 8 for this rate. 
Be sure to select your specific room nights at the landing page before clicking “check availability.” 

Conference Venues

Poetter Hall (business lunch)
Scad Museum of Art
SCAD Trustees Theater

Conference Registration

To register for the conference and purchase tickets to the study tours, please click this link.

Additional Opportunities

The University of Virginia Press is offering SESAH members a 45% discount on the Buildings of Savannah, authored by Robin B. Williams with contributions by David Gobel, Patrick Haughey, Daves Rossell, and Karl Shuler. Published in 2016 as part of the Society of Architectural Historians’ Buildings of the United States series, the book received SESAH’s 2018 Best Guidebook Award. The 336-page paperback guidebook normally costs $36.95. The limited time discounted cost is $20.32 (taxes and shipping fees are separate). The book can be ordered at this link. The discount code is 10SESAH. Order now so you can bring the book with you to Savannah!

Please note that UVA Press and UGA Press will be exhibiting at SESAH.