Savannah · Madison Square
The DeSoto
A 1960s tower on the site of the 1890 Hotel DeSoto on Madison Square. Little of the original survives; its credential is Historic Hotels of America membership.
- Built
- 1967Current 15-story Mid-Century Modern tower, dated 1967 on the City of Savannah Historic Building Map and opened as the DeSoto Hilton in 1968, on the site of the original Hotel DeSoto (opened 1890, closed 1965, then demolished); salvaged pieces of the 1890 hotel are displayed inside.
- Style
- Mid-Century Modern
- Architect
- Richard L. Aeck (1968 building); William G. Preston designed the demolished 1890 hotel
- Type
- Grand hotel
- Rooms
- 246
- Area
- Madison Square
- Credentials
- Historic Hotels of America member; Inside a National Register historic district
The story
The original Hotel DeSoto, designed by William G. Preston in a mix of Richardsonian Romanesque and Queen Anne styles, opened on New Year’s Day 1890 with 300 rooms on the site of the former Oglethorpe Barracks. Historic Hotels of America lists Presidents McKinley, Taft and Wilson among its guests. The hotel closed in 1965 and was replaced by a 15-story Mid-Century Modern tower by Atlanta architect Richard L. Aeck, which opened in 1968 and ran for decades as the Hilton Savannah DeSoto. Sotherly Hotels bought it in 2004 and, after renovations, reopened it under the independent DeSoto name in August 2017. Pieces of the 1890 building, including terra cotta, crystal chandeliers, the bust of Hernando de Soto and a lion’s-head fountain, are displayed in the current hotel.
Good to know
- Parking: on-site paid
- Pets welcome
- Address: 15 E Liberty St, Savannah, GA 31401
Things to do
Tours in Savannah
Tours are sold by GetYourGuide and run by local operators. If you book one through these links, we may earn a commission at no cost to you. Ratings and prices are GetYourGuide’s.
Sources (5)
Last verified October 2026. Details change; confirm with the inn before you book.