By Sarah Jones
Photography by John Fulton

The thought of Savannah architecture conjures up a pretty distinct image in one’s mind: Victorian homes with detailed woodwork adorning a wraparound porch, Savannah gray brick townhouses, or lavish residences in the Downtown Historic District. Similarly the term “workspace” is, seemingly, easily defined—a boxy space with a desk, an office chair and a framed degree hanging on the wall.

Innovative homeowners and business partners Cornelia Stumpf, owner and principal of public relations, marketing and creative services company CSCP Consult, and Celestino Piralla, CSCP art director, are challenging these stereotypes and scooping up awards as they go. On May 10, their mid-century modern-style “Think Tank” building received the Historic Savannah Foundation’s Preservation Award for new construction. The Think Tank, lauded for its compatibility with the style of the original home and surrounding neighborhood, pays homage to 1950s architectural pioneer Pierre Koenig’s Case Study House #22 in Los Angeles. “We thought it was a great concept,” says Piralla, who not only designed the Think Tank but works out of it every day. “It’s more than just inspiration—it made sense to us,” he says. “It doesn’t conform to preexisting norms.”

This is the second consecutive year Stumpf and Piralla received an HSF award since moving back to Savannah from Phoenix in 2010 and renovating their mid-century modern home in Savannah’s Magnolia Park neighborhood. Only eight minutes from downtown, just south of DeRenne Avenue, Magnolia Park was founded in 1952. The couple returned to Savannah because of economic conditions out West. When they decided to move, they knew they wanted to live in an area similar to their home in Phoenix. Walkability, community and design were all important as they shopped for their next house. During a visit to scout homes, the couple had seen around 20 prospects when they came upon the Magnolia Park lot. The home had been in the same family for 54 years and was in a state of disrepair, but they saw potential. “It was scary, but it had great bones,” Stumpf says. In 2011, the home received the HSF President’s Award for outstanding renovation of a surviving example of mid-century modern architecture.

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