The Cultural Resources Department is requesting the installation of a Historic Marker on the property of the Dr. Otis S. Johnson Cultural Arts Center that will highlight the Wetter House, the Savannah Female Orphan Asylum, the Oglethorpe Lane Building and the Elbert Ward.

The marker will be located in the public right-of-way between the Oglethorpe Lane Building and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. It will reflect the history of the Wetter House, and the Savannah Female Orphan Asylum, acknowledging its original location and connections to the Telfair family and its architectural features that made it special piece of history. The marker will also provide historical context of the Oglethorpe Lane Building, which was constructed between 1888-1889 and stands in a ruin state now, as a reminder of the history of the Wetter House and the Savannah Female Orphan Asylum. Lastly, it will also provide a brief history of the Elbert Ward from its beginnings as the original Oglethorpe town plan was laid to the Urban Renewal projects that have impacted and shaped the area today.

The marker will provide residents and visitors with a greater understanding of the Elbert Ward and the decisions that have shaped the neighborhood as it exists today. It will also offer context and interpretation of the Oglethorpe Lane building ruin, educating readers about the unique stories that have shaped—and continue to shape—the history of Savannah.

On November 6, 2025, the Historic Sites and Monument Commission recommended approval to the Savannah City Council for the creation and installation of the interpretive historic marker on the site of the Dr. Otis S. Johnson Cultural Arts Center as, requested, to be docketed on a City Council agenda because the work meets the standards within the Master Plan and Guidelines for Markers, Monuments and Public Art.