It’s become such a mystery over the last few years that a lot of of people have just given up on asking about it. Those of us that spend any kind of time in and around downtown Savannah are regularly reminded, and so we wonder.

What is the status of the rebuild at the Leopold’s Ice Cream location in the Victorian District? Will it ever return? It’s a question we field here several times a year.

There was only one place to get some answers, so we set up an ice cream appointment with the man who would know. Stratton Leopold.

“I am hoping we can get going on that next year.” he said over a few scoops of Egg Nog ice cream last week on Broughton Street. “It’s a big project. We have all of the drawings done.”

The delays have been many and they go back over a decade. When Stratton originally began ‘digging in’ to that project, if you will, there were lots of challenges with such an old building being used for what Stratton had in mind. The plan included event space for birthday parties and the like on the 2nd floor of the building. The plan included a larger ice cream production facility than the space they occupied on Broughton Street near Abercorn.

Fortunately, Stratton had a friend talk him out of using the Gwinnett location for production. It was decided it was too small. There was no room for growth. That led to Leopold’s Ice Cream expanding their production to a property at the corner of Price and 37th Streets in Savannah. That remains their production facility today.

Back on Gwinnett, some questions came up about the type of siding that was going to be used on the exterior of the original building. Review committees rejected a proposal to use a material that Leopold’s believed looked exactly the same, but was not made of wood. The city rejected the plan. That was a nearly 3 year back and forth.

Toss in expansion to be able to ship nationwide, plus to the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport and a global pandemic and you arrive at where we are now.

The plan, as Stratton describes it, is large and ambitious. The original soda shop which sits at that corner of Gwinnett and Habersham Streets will return to what it was once upon a time. “We are going to have food in there.” he says. “Burgers and sandwiches and all of that. Not like what my dad did. He had steaks and shrimp too!” he shared with a laugh.

No, the plan is to make this something of a lunch counter, which is what it was back in the day. In the days when Hollywood Legend and Savannah native Johnny Mercer would come in and sit in the same booth all the time and read the paper with his meal. Plenty of ice cream being served of course.

In the lot behind the original storefront, there are plans for a larger event space. The walls, Stratton says will be lined with memorabilia that he has collected over his career making movies.

“We are having cabinets made to go in there. All kinds of things I have. Cameras, posters, everything.”

I’ve heard from more than a couple of people that he has practically saved it all. Some of it is on display or in use at their Broughton Street shop, but a majority of it is being stored elsewhere. One day, he hopes it will all be on display on the corner where his dad and 2 uncles created what eventually became a Savannah icon.

The project, I know, is something a lot of us are looking forward to. The good news is, it may be moving slowly, but it is moving forward. The bad news is, I’m guessing it will take maybe a year to complete once the first shovel goes into the ground.

And then there’s that whole ‘side hustle’ Stratton remains deeply involved in. He is still an active motion picture producer. His next project called “The Neon Highway” stars Beau Bridges and Pam Tillis. That will be out early 2024. It was filmed in Columbus, Georgia.

Which really makes you wonder how he does it all and when he plans to slow down a little. You know, retire?

“Nah….” he says. “I’m a lousy golfer.”

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