Bull and DeRenne, Savannah GA: A&P?

[Groceteria]

I know there was supposed to have been a 1953-era A&P in a center at approximately this location, but I'm not 100% sure on this one. Confirmations?

[jimbobga]

This was definitely an A&P. When I moved to Savannah in 1973, the store had probably been closed about three years. The building was then occupied by a local "Service Merchandise" type store for a few years. Well up into the late 70's, one could still see the labelscar on the front of the building where the round A&P sign had been, along with the marks denoting the tapering arrows on either side of the circular sign. This was located in about the same place as the replaced siding is in the picture. There was also a discolored circle on the short tower near the front door, and one could easily see the faded script letters A&P colonial-styled sign. The revolving A&P sign had been painted white, evidently without the use of a primer. The sign at the north end of the building did not match the rest of the building, and it was probably put up later to get the attention of east-west traffic on DeRenne Avenue, which was about a half-block to the north.

There was an unusual addition to this building which turned the store into a L-shape, with the addition being located to the rear near the front of the picture. It may have been added after A&P left, but it doesn't look like 1970's construction. No business would do well in that location today due to the road being widened and access to the parking lot is only for vehicles traveling north on White Bluff Road.

Other former A&P locations still standing in Savannah include
1] Westside Shopping Center in Garden City. Although covered with a rock facade, the tower is still intact.
2] East Oglethorpe Avenue, just east of Habersham Street. Located in the historic district, the store was probably built in the early 50's. While still basically intact, it is painted grey and tends to just disappear into the surroundings.
3] One block north of Victory Drive on Abercorn Street; this sidewalk store with a parking lot in the back closed around 1978, and may have been torn down in the last year.
4] Crossroads Shopping Center, Victory Drive at Skidaway. The store closed in 1974, but was occupied by Piggly Wiggly without any major changes until 2004 when the building lost any traces of its former self when Piggly Wiggly gutted the interior of A&P and a former Woolworth's next door and enlarged into the Piggly Wiggly version of a superstore. For thirty years, the A&P tower sported a big smiling pig face to replace the A&P bullseye.
5] Largo Drive, one block south of Abercorn Street. A tiny A&P was built here to serve the Windsor Forest subdivision in the early sixties. Although it remained busy up until the end, the store closed in the early 80's when A&P left the Savannah area.
The only remaining A&P in the area was an hour away in Beaufort, South Carolina. This store remained open until 1999.