Self-Guided Tour of Cobbham Historic District
Historic Cobbham offers you a spectrum of the architectural styles, historical events and important citizens in Athens’ first planned neighborhood. Meet Civil War leaders, “Georgia’s First Aviator” and international artists, musicians and Pulitzer Prize winners. Enjoy the most elaborate architecture of many eras – Antebellum, Federal, Greek Revival, Queen Anne and American Craftsman. This self-guided tour is walkable and bikeable. On-street parking is available along the tour route. This is one of our most densely packed self-guided tours. There are over 70 points of interest within the historic district.
1. Fire Station No. 2, c. 1901
489 Prince Avenue
Today, Historic Athens is headquartered in this wedge-shaped firehouse with its unchanged exterior, iron balcony and original fire pole. This eastern entrance to Historic Cobbham is featured on the medallion logo adorning many homes.
2. Commercial Building, ca. 1935
497 Prince Avenue
This commercial building was built circa 1935 and was originally occupied by Red & Black Cleaners and Prince Avenue Pharmacy.
5. Daily Grocery, c. 1906
523 Prince Avenue
This mercantile building, originally Fuller Grocery, features an overhanging iron balcony supported by massive brackets. The second floor served as a residence for the proprietor. Today, Daily Groceries Co-Op serves the community through cooperation with local farms.
3. T.R.R. Cobb House, c. 1829
175 Hill Street
With its two octagonal wings and distinctive salmon color, this grand home was moved to this site in 2004. Originally sited at 194 Prince Avenue, it was moved to Stone Mountain Park in 1985. Returned in 2005 by Watson-Brown Foundation, today it is restored as a historic house museum open to the public. T.R.R. Cobb, a former Confederate general founded the UGA Law School and Lucy Cobb Institute, named for his daughter, and authored the slave code of the Confederate Constitution.
4. Pope Street Vista. Howell Cobb House, c. 1835
698 N. Pope Street
Look north up Pope Street to view the Howell Cobb House, the first residence built by Howell Cobb. Owned by Emmanuel Episcopal Church for many years, this Greek Revival house has been restored by Chris Peterson as a private home.
7. Harbin House, c. 1888
545 Prince Avenue
James A. Harbin lived in this New South cottage with two gables on the façade, pyramidal roof and simple classical details. His general store stands adjacent to the house at 553 Prince Ave, which continued as a business till restored as an office in 2015.
6. Alpha Tau Omega-Chipley House, c. 1907
535 Prince Avenue
Built as the A.T.O. Chapter House, it soon became the residence of Jonathan Chipley. The house was first restored in the 1980s by Roy Jahn and then again after a fire downstairs in 2004. Today this Victorian house features a wrap-around porch which is simply adorned by square Doric columns. The attic vent is reminiscent of Victorian-era ornamentation, and the complex roof and irregular house plan hearken to the eclectic tastes of the time.
8. Booth-O’Callaghan House, c. 1895
565 Prince Avenue
Gingerbread porch trim on this Queen Anne cottage shows the handiwork of local Craftsman, which was the architect’s home for half a century. Restored in 1978 by UGA professor John English, the stained glass transoms are re-creations, and the original wood-shingled roof was replaced by standing-seam metal in the 1920s and again in 2010.
9. University of Georgia President’s House, c. 1857
570 Prince Avenue
Built by John and Martha Cobb Jackson Grant, this Greek Revival features fourteen Corinthian columns encompassing the front and sides of the house, while Doric columns grace the rear porch overlooking a nine-acre garden. The University acquired the property in 1949 and furnished the ground floor with antiques and works of art such as a Gilbert Stuart portrait of Washington.
10. Davis-Meadow-Rogers House, c. 1900
585 Prince Avenue
This Colonial Revival structure features Ionic columns, a Palladian window and stained glass. The fanlight and sidelights around the front entrance feature beveled glass. The believed builder of this house, William H. Davis ran a pool hall downtown at 164 E. Clayton Street.
11. Taylor-Grady House, c. 1844
634 Prince Avenue
The wealthy cotton merchant Robert Taylor built this Greek Revival as a summer house, moved here while his sons attended UGA and then sold it to the father of Henry W. Grady in 1863. Grady only lived here while attending the University, but was editor of the Atlanta Constitution and a major figure in the recovery of the South after the Civil War. Owned and maintained by Athens-Clarke County since 1966, Junior League of Athens operated it as a house museum and special event venue. The venue is currently closed to the public.
12. Ellard Hall
Currently this Victorian cottage is used by the Clarke County School District.
13. Rittenberry Sculpture, 2014
Cobbham Triangle Park
On permanent loan from Historic Cobbham Foundation, this sculpture celebrates the history of Cobbham and how the ideas and talents of its residents “fly” out into the world. Note the granite mounting block at the curb on the Prince Avenue side.
14. McKie-Larson House, c.1897
253 Cobb Street
Ed and Lucy Larson were living here when he wrote Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America’s Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion, won the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for History, and became renowned as an evolution advocate.
15. Nickerson-Whitehead House, c. 1890
225 Hill Street
Thomas H. Nickerson of Childs, Nickerson & Co. Hardware Store built this Victorian with large brackets under the eaves, which give the house a Gothic flair. Nickerson was brother to Capt. Reuben Nickerson, “…one of the builders of Athens” (Hull, Annals of Athens, p. 297). The Nickerson family moved to Athens in the late 1850s from Bucksport, Maine. The family kept their ties with Maine and continuously travelled back and forth, despite Reuben Nickerson’s considerable involvement in the Civil War as a Captain for the Confederacy.
16. Bickers House, c. 1910
234 Hill Street
Believed to have been built for Daniel G. Bickers, assistant editor of the Daily Banner, this eclectic Queen Anne cottage exhibits various architectural traits of the period. The complex roof and irregular plan are traits of Victorian architecture while the ornamental upper sashes of the windows hearken to Craftsman influence. Also of note is the Roman Doric-columned porch with a balustrade. All of these traits illustrate the eclecticism of the late 19th and early 20th century architectural movements. Local lore claims that an infamous madam lived in this house for years and that its pyramidshaped roof line was said to enhance activities therein. It was renovated into a duplex in 1981.
17. Mell House, c. 1886
257 Hill Street
This one-story Victorian cottage, with its oriel window and livable porch, is typical of others in the district. The house was once a home for Edward Baker Mell c. 1889. He wrote the book Reminiscences of Athens, Georgia, About 1880 to 1900.
18. Rogers House, c. 1912
277 Hill Street
Cotton broker Thomas Rogers constructed this Classical Revival home which has served as a fraternity house, a popular boarding house ,and then a bed-and-breakfast called Magnolia Terrace.
19. Piedmont College Park
Corner of Hill & Church Streets
After a church tore down two historic homes for a parking lot, Piedmont College took over the property and collaborated with Historic Cobbham Foundation to create this urban oasis. The Italian mosaic “Dancers in the Park” was made and donated by artist Cecelia Villaveces (see 453 Hill Street).
20. Deloney-Hull-DeMarco House, c. 1894
327 Hill Street
This high-style Victorian gem is a single-family home featuring stately trim and a complex roof plan.
21. Pitner-Brockman House, c. 1889
336 Hill Street
For several generations, the Pitner-Brockman home survived the demolition of surrounding houses by an in-town church due to the stubbornness of Charles J. Brockman Jr. When he died in 2007, the house was renovated by Chris Peterson.
22. Holliday-Dorminey House, c. 1901
357 Hill Street
Dr. A.C. Holliday built this restrained, late Victorian home using small Tuscan columns. Two vintage outbuildings remain in the back. The house stands today relatively unchanged and true to its original design.
23. West House, c. 1889
387 Hill Street
The exact construction date of this house is unknown, but it is known that the house was moved in 1899 from its original location at 357 Hill Street. In Sylvanus Morris’ book Strolls About Athens During the Early Seventies, he described it as a previously one story house rebuilt by Judge West, which would date part of the house to the early 1870s. Today, this twostory framed house features characteristics of Victorian-era architecture on the second story while maintaining a Greek Revival character on the first story.
24. Cobb-Bucknell-Leathers House, c. 1849
425 Hill Street
Howell and Mary Ann Lamar Cobb lived here while he served as Governor of Georgia, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Secretary of the Treasury under Buchanan, and a General in the Confederate Army. The Articles of Confederation were read from the front balcony to a crowd below in 1861, and Cobb was arrested by federal troops on the front porch. A monumental Doric portico and delicate iron railings grace the front of this home, which originally occupied the entire block before being moved to the corner in 1890.
25. Brown-Villaveces House, c. 1910
453 Hill Street
Built by Peter Brown, professor of literature at State Normal School, this Queen Anne cottage features a Roman Doric porch which wraps around the side of the house. Note the Tree of Life mosaic created by resident Cecilia Villaveces. After fleeing persecution in Columbia, Villaveces started over as a baker and became famous in the Southeast as “The Cake Lady.”
26. Boley-Hodges-Sill-Carson House, c. 1918
470 Hill Street
Built by S.J. Boley, this 20th century interpretation of Greek Revival has been home to a single family and the Sigma Chi fraternity, which began its national derby tradition here. The house hearkens back to the Greek Revival mansions which were once found throughout the area.
27. Cheney House, c. 1895
490 N. Milledge Avenue
Athens’ finest remaining Queen Anne Victorian house boasts bay and oriel windows, decorative shingles, multiple porches, stained-glass windows, dormers and a turret. Be sure to note the brackets and scroll work. In Athens, a Pictorial History, author James Reap relates this story about the eccentric sisters: “Two sisters, Frances and Maud Cheney, were living in the house when a neighbor’s cat came over to have her kittens. Maud cared for them and loved them, and when the cat went home, Maud kept the kittens in spite of the neighbor’s demand for their return. The dispute finally went to court, where the judge ruled against Miss Cheney. When she still refused to return the kittens, and cursed the judge, she was sentenced to jail for contempt of court. Whether she actually served her sentence, no one knows, but it is said that she sat on the steps of the jail denouncing the sheriff who told her to spend her sentence at home.” (Reap, A Pictorial History, 181).
28. Erwin-Hodgson-Downes House, c. 1856
524 Hill Street
Alexander Erwin built this house on the site of the home of John A. Cobb II. The original one-story cottage was enlarged in the 1880s and an outbuilding of the old Cobb estate can be seen attached as a wing.
29. Crawford-Carson House, c.1885
560 Hill Street
Miss Anne Crawford taught young ladies French and music in this fine Victorian home with an irregular floor plan. A turret and curving veranda adorn the exterior.
30. Carlton-Taylor-De Renne House. c. 1856
573 Hill Street
This unpainted-wood home is a townhouse-style structure on the side-hall plan. An impressive columned portico extends across the front of the house. Mrs. Augusta De Renne laid out the noteworthy gardens in the 1940s. James A. Carlton may have had this house built. His father was the distinguished Athens builder James R. Carlton, who built the UGA Chapel and, and with Ross Crane, rebuilt New College. Considering the brevity of J. R. Carlton’s work, it is possible that this house was one of Ross Crane and/or J.R. Carlton’s residential works.
31. Lowrance-Dozier House, c. 1875
594 Hill Street
Dr. Henry A. Lowrance lived here and worked as a local dentist in Athens’ Reconstruction years. In the 1920s, Augustus Dozier remodeled this Victorian-era house. At this time, the stucco façade and vertical window treatment, typical of houses built during this period, were likely added. Note the granite mounting block at the curb.
32. Lafayette Square Apartment, c. 1965-1970
626, 670 & 680 Hill Street
This corner apartment was the last home of Dean Rusk, United States Secretary of State from 1961 to 1969 under presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. William McFeeley also lived here after winning the 1982 Pulitzer Prize in Biography for Ulysses S. Grant. McFeeley was committed to employing history in the service of civil rights.
33. Proctor-Benson House, c. 1910
498 Franklin Street
Here in 1928, Jeannette Rankin, the first woman elected to the U.S. Congress and a renowned pacifist, co-founded the Georgia Peace Society with Lucy Stanton, a prominent national artist and Cobbham resident (see 552 Cobb Street). Rankin, a longtime resident of Watkinsville, had family at the University of Georgia. As a pacifist and congresswoman, she was honored by John F. Kennedy in his Profiles in Courage for voting against U.S. involvement in World War I and being the only vote against entry into World War II. In an unsuccessful effort, the Georgia Peace Society lobbied for the state of Georgia to ban war through a state constitutional amendment.
34. Crawford-Wiggington-Hill House, c. 1870
506 Franklin Street
This Victorian cottage with a high central gable was probably built just after the Civil War. Triple hung windows, a Greek Revival entrance and simple pilasters grace the former home of Elliot Wiggington, Sr. who came to America from England as director of the State Botanical Gardens. He brought with him the helleborus niger, or Lenten rose, which has become one of America’s and Cobbham’s favorite plants.
35. Moss Side, 1838
479 Cobb Street
Hiram Hayes built what is probably the oldest home in Cobbham. The residence has been owned by the Moss family since 1861. R. L. Moss was a member of Howell Cobb’s staff during the Civil War. When his wife heard he was wounded in Alabama, she drove a wagon there to bring him home. His daughter Julie established Grove School on the property. The feats of her brother, Dr. William Lorenzo Moss, are honored on the State Historical Marker. Moss descendants still own the block.
36. Prince Place
At the corner, notice how the name of Chase Street changes for only the one block between Prince Avenue and Cobb Street. In 1927, residents of this block requested the change to avoid being thought part of the African-American community.
37. Heidler House, c. 1910
530 Cobb Street
Shingled houses became a popular architectural tradition at the turn of the century to accommodate changing tastes for simpler, traditional houses. Used often as a means to soften the rampant eclecticism of the day, the use of cedar shake shingles provided a more reserved, yet contemporary aesthetic.
38. Forbes House, c. 1909
550 Cobb Street
This house was built for Walter T. Forbes, secretary and first paid employee at the Athens Y.M.C.A. Forbes also founded the Y.M.C.A. summer camp in the mountains near Tallulah Falls (the 5th oldest Y.M.C.A. camp in the U.S.). The house has an interesting plan with a single front gable, pyramidal roof over the central block, a large roof overhang and corresponding brackets. His wife Willie Marion Stanton Forbes was the sister of Lucy May Stanton.
39. Stanton-Reti-Forbes Studio & Gallery, c. 1920
552 Cobb Street
Lucy May Stanton, a noted international artist of miniatures, bought the vacant lot next to her sister in 1905. An inheritance in 1909 was used to build a 30’x24’ wooden home/studio on the rear alley. Except when she rented while working in New York City, teaching in Boston, and travelling abroad, she lived and worked here until her death. The art of miniatures was revived during the turn of the century Arts and Crafts movement and Stanton was considered the best in the nation and Europe. Working in the Deep South in the early twentieth century, Stanton was among the first artists to represent black subjects without sentimentality or prejudice. In 1925, with an inheritance of $1000, Stanton designed and had built the first floor of a permanent brick house on the front of her lot. Lucy and her nephew W. Stanton Forbes are shown on the porch. However, she only lived in the house one year. Finances caused her to rent the new house and return to the unheated wooden studio where she lived till her death in 1931. Today the studio is gone, but the brick house was finished by the same nephew after her death. Its simple and refined character is reminiscent of the Federal Style. This Colonial Revival structure reflects the resurgence of colonial and classical architecture at the onset of the 20th century.
40. Crane-O’Looney House, c. 1906
626-630 Cobb Street
Willian M. and Irmine Crane built the front house, and during the Depression, duplexed the house to accommodate the marriages of two daughters by enclosing the front porch and adding on to the back. Sixteen renters lived on the property when Gwen and John O’Looney bought the house in 1982. Renovations included adding a side porch and opening the attic. Gwen was the first mayor after unification of Athens-Clarke County and the first head of a newly-unified government to be re-elected in U.S. history. An older cottage sits on the rear alley and may have belonged to the Chandlers (640 Cobb St.) before the lot was subdivided.
41. Chandler House, c. 1875
640 Cobb Street
Built as a 1200 sq. ft. Queen Anne cottage, storm damage led to an extensive renovation followed by major additions by the Smith-Hable family. While the interior is completely new, the front façade maintains its historic character. Notable features are the two bay windows, one on the facing gable and the other on the east side of the house. This house served as the residence for George and Mamie Chandler. A small house in the back of the lot that served intermittently as a residence for members of the family and farm workers has been demolished. Another historic house was moved onto the rear alley in 2007 as a studio.
42. Sell-McLeod House, c. 1916
650 Cobb Street
E. S. Sell built this bungalow with cedar shake shingle siding. One of the first “carpet grass” lawns in Athens was planted complete with an underground sprinkler system that still functions manually today. A historicaly sensitive addition at the rear of the house was added in 1993.
43. Armstrong House, c. 1910
657 Cobb Street
This early 20th century Craftsman house features textbook characteristics, including the ornamental upper sash of the windows, a welcoming porch and the central hipped-roof dormer.
44. Hadaway and Davis Houses, c. 1908
673 & 675 Cobb Street
Two more houses exactly like these are in the Boulevard Historic District on the other side of Prince Avenue -- one is on Grady Avenue. Originally, access was from a rear alley. When Ian Firth bought 673 in 1978, he found 1940 checks stuffed behind the wall added to divide it into a duplex. The landlord sold the house because hospital expansion was stopped by the residential movement.
45. Carrier House, c. 1909
698 Cobb Street
Renovated in the mid-1980s, this Craftsman house is believed to have originally featured a one-story wrap around porch connecting the front entrance to the bay on the southeastern façade.
46. Bondurant House, c. 1905
725 Cobb Street
E. J. Bondurant built this impressive Edwardian house, complete with double parlors and a large porch supported by Ionic columns. The block-long lot is a rarity. His daughter “Birdie” Bondurant Clower lived there until her death in 2000.
47. Jester Houses, c. 1907
724 & 728 Cobb Street
William Asbury Jester speculated in real estate when he built these identical one-story frame cottages adjacent to his own home. The shingle siding and decoration and diamond panes are interesting Victorian features. 724 was the lifelong home of Dorothy Firor, who was principal of Chase Street School. 728 has been a doctor’s office since the 1960s and once had four rental trailers in the back yard.
48. King-Cullen House, c. 1910
731 Cobb Street
Nearby King Avenue was named for the King family who built this simple Victorian cottage with a spacious porch and high chimneys.
49. Carlton Jester House, c. 1900
738 Cobb Street
William Ashbury Jester built this home for his son Carlton. The Jester family owned the house for more than 50 years. Athens Regional Hospital, now Piedmont Athens Regional, was using it as the Athens Pastoral Counseling Center when extensively restored in 1986 by Bertis and Katherine Downs. The Classic Revival house appears today much like it did when constructed. Bertis was Manager of the internationally-renowned band R.E.M.
50. Florence-Olsen House, c. 1928
739 Cobb Street
Appropriate infill in an earlier era, this house was built in the waning years of the Cobbham neighborhood in the late 1920s. It contains aspects of the Craftsman style as well as modern characteristics with the carport.
51. Jester-Griffith-Buck House, c. 1890
748 Cobb Street
William A. Jester built this unusual house in the Second Empire Victorian style with a central tower, mansard roof and a porch with elaborate Moorish brackets. The interior boasts a free-hanging staircase, and the multi-color scheme is reminiscent of the Painted Ladies of San Francisco. Historic Cobbham Foundation purchased the house through its revolving fund to save it from destruction. Barrie and Peter Buck of R.E.M. carefully restored the house. Today, Barrie owns the famous 40 Watt Club music venue.
52. Sledge-Cobb-Spalding House, c. 1860
749 Cobb Street
Three steep gables and a cast-iron porch are defining features of this landmark Gothic Revival structure. James A. Sledge, editor of the Athens Banner, built this house just before the Civil War. Later it was the home of Mrs. Lamar Cobb, founding president in 1891 of the Ladies’ Garden Club of Athens, America’s first chartered garden club. Margie and Phinizy Spalding were the founders of Historic Cobbham Foundation and major leaders in restoration of our neighborhood. The old slave cabin on the property was moved from Milledge Avenue in 1999 for a studio.
53. Keane Studios, c. 1916
165 Hillcrest Avenue
After purchase by John Keane in 1976, he opened a recording studio around 1981. R.E.M., Love Tractor, Pylon, the B52s, Widespread Panic, Cowboy Junkies, The Indigo Girls, 10,000 Maniacs, Vic Chesnutt, Robyn Hitchcock and Uncle Tupelo have recorded there.
54. Moon-Keane House, c. 1910
175 Hillcrest Avenue
Now the home of Jo and John Keane since 1991, the house was originally built by Mattie Moon for the grand sum of $1500.
55. Allen-Kurtz House, c. 1910
895 Hill Street
This Queen Anne house marks the former entrance to the old Lynwood Park suburb. At the turn of the century, Lynwood Park was a thriving black neighborhood with health centers, schools, and churches serving as home to about a fifth of Athens Black population.
56. Ben T. Epps House, c. 1929
892 Hill Street
Recognized as “Georgia’s First Aviator,” Ben T. Epps built the house when he moved his family of six children into town for schooling. His wife Omie insisted that house plans allow access to the children’s rooms from the kitchen. Before his fatal airplane crash in 1937, four more children were born. One upstairs bedroom was rented to a boarder to help make ends meet and the girls slept in the other. Boys were relegated to the basement where the ceiling was about 5’9” from the cement floor, and they joked that that was the reason none of them grew taller than 5’ 8.” Omie lived in the house until 1965 when she passed away. The house has been a rental property since her death.
57. Ferdinand Phinizy House, c. 1840-50
889 Hill Street
Ferdinand Phinizy II built the first house here which served as the Phinizy farm house on a lot that formerly stretched from Cobb Street southwest to roughly Holman Avenue. Later additions to the house have obscured much of the original dwelling, but it appears to have been a one-story frame Greek Revival house with two octagonal wings. Why it sits perpendicular to Hill Street is debated – end of original drive from Milledge or rerouting of Hill Street to join The Plaza?
58. 824, 846 and 858 Hill Street, c. 1910
Three late-Victorian-era homes all share the same basic design elements of top flat roofs, columned porches and stained glass windows.
59. Rowland-Galt House, c. 1922
825 Hill Street
This stucco Colonial Revival exhibits Federal details which include the classical portico and fanlight over the doorway.
60. Lampkin-Vincent-Carter House, c. 1890
778 Hill Street
While this two-story Victorian structure has lost some of its original dormers and turrets, a double gallery and double oriel windows still embellish one side of the house. An original outbuilding remains behind the house. The original owners planted the pecan orchard that still extends across the surrounding neighborhood.
61. Eckford-Butts-Benton House, c. 1922
679 Hill Street
Frederick Orr, one of the most noted early 20th century architects, designed this house. Except for enclosure of the side porch, the house is intact and features all five fireplaces with Victorian mantels and several original light fixtures. This was the last home of Wallace “Wally” Butts, Jr. honored by the Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall at The University of Georgia, where he was head coach and athletic director from 1939 to 1963. Coach Butts died in the house, December 17, 1973, after returning from a run in the neighborhood. Mrs. Winnie Butts resided in the house until her death.
62. Wilkins House, c. 1890
649 Hill Street
John J. Wilkins built this simple Victorian cottage with the sunburst design decoration on gables and dormers.
63. Weir-Brown House, c. 1900
629 Hill Street
This Victorian house is defined by its ornate porch. The balustrade and matching filigree above frame the porch which is adorned by a sunburst pediment. Shingled gable ends are another notable feature.
64. Cohen-Tibbetts House, c. 1917
619 Hill Street
This stucco American Craftsman features ornamental windows and an exaggerated roof which is especially visible on the eastern gable end.
65. Custance-McCrory House, c. 2008
390 Franklin Street
Infill designed by Bloomer-Seagrest Architects, and built by Jay Nackashi, the style reflects front gabled, stucco houses nearby on Hill Street. Building material is energy efficient aerated concrete block. The property includes rain gardens and water tanks for capturing runoff.
66. Llewellyn-Chesnutt House, c. 1880
375 Franklin Street
This Victorian cottage is accented by an octagonal cupola and the balustrade resembles Chinese Chippendale. Operated as a home beauty parlor for many years, Tina and Vic Chesnutt purchased and restored the house in the late 1990’s during the height of Vic’s career as a singer, songwriter, performer and recording artist of international acclaim. The inaccessible attic was made into a studio and an elevator installed to accommodate the quadriplegic artist. At his death in 2009, a New York Times obituary said, “The constant in his career was a keen poetic intelligence that could be sardonic or unsparingly confessional.”
67. Dozier-Williams House, c. 1880
760 Meigs Street
An earlier dwelling was enlarged into this 16-room house with a sunburst design embellishing the gables and a ball-and-dowel motif trimming the porch.
68. Deupree Hunnicutt House, c. 1910
386 N. Milledge Avenue
A director at Athens Savings Bank, Deupree Hunnicutt built this high-style craftsman house with these elements -- exaggerated roofs with large roof overhangs, craftsman windows with ornamental upper sashes, and squat, exaggerated pillars.
69. Phinizy-Hunnicutt House, c. 1855
325 N. Milledge Avenue
John F. Phinizy built this Italianate home, later bought by John A. Hunnicutt, elected Mayor of Athens in 1889. Cast-iron porch trim and leaded, beveled glass in the sidelights and transom add elegance. The house originally was sited further back on the lot, but was moved forward when it was renovated and opened as a restaurant and apartments built on the rear of the lot.
70. Phinizy-Herrington-Kelley House, c. 1880
290 N. Milledge Avenue
Billups Phinizy bought an older cottage on this lot and rebuilt it into the present structure about 1880. S.M. Herrington, a local judge, lived here many years.
71. Lucy Cobb Institute, c. 1858
201 N. Milledge Avenue
In 1854, a daring letter to the editor was published in the Southern Watchman (an Athens weekly newspaper at the time) entitled "The Education of our Girls." The letter said that "girls have the same intellectual constitution as men and have the same right as men to intellectual, cultural development" and was signed "Mother." T.R.R Cobb, who later discovered that "Mother" was his sister, Laura Cobb Rutherford, read the article and set out to raise funds for a "College for Girls." The complex was completed in 1858 and named after Cobb’s daughter, who died at age 13 of scarlet fever. The school began its first session in January of 1859 and closed in 1931, having earned the reputation of being one of the top girls’ schools in the United States. There were two interesting rules at the institute: young ladies were not to wave to young men from the second story windows, and students could not wander past the magnolia trees without a chaperone. After the Lucy Cobb Institute closed, the property was leased to the University of Georgia in 1932 and transferred entirely to UGA in 1953. Through the years, it served as women’s dormitories, the Phi Mu sorority house, office space for the School of Environmental Design, and storage space. The building became a part of the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. In 1984, with the building in desperate need of renovation, Congress allocated funds for the Lucy Cobb Institute to be repaired, restored, and turned into the Carl Vinson Institute of Government’s new home – on the condition that state and federal historic preservation offices approve the renovation. The renovation project was completed in 1991.
72. Seney-Stovall Chapel - 1885
201 N. Milledge Avenue
W.W. Thomas began building the chapel in 1882 after Miss Nellie G. Stovall wrote a letter to George I. Seney, a philanthropist in New York, asking for money to build a chapel for the Lucy Cobb Institute. He donated $10,000 for the project, plus a pipe organ for the chapel and paintings for the Lucy Cobb Institute. Seney-Stovall Chapel, which holds 280 people, was dedicated in 1885 and still stands as the only truly Elizabethan theatre in the Southeast. The octagonal, orange brick building served as a lecture hall, theatre and auditorium for the institute. Restoration was completed in 1997 at a cost of $2.5 million.
73. Meigs Street School, c. 1880-1919
360 N. Church Street and 485, 475 & 465 Meigs Street
Four small houses on this corner made up the Meigs Street School elementary complex. Believed to have been built prior to 1880, 475 Meigs is the oldest, original school building defined by its “Downingesque” dormer, brackets under the eave and gable roof. Two other structures date after 1918 and, after the sale of these structures in 1919, they were converted into single family dwellings.
74. George-Ferqueron, c. 1909
460 Meigs Street
Administrators of Meigs Street School lived in this late Queen Anne-style cottage featuring a wrap-around porch, five fireplaces and an open central hall (retrofitted with a skylight).
75. Old Clarke County Jail, c. 1876- 1913
175 Hill Street (rear).
Col. Leon Henry Charbonnier designed this jail, but he is understandably better known as the designer of Moore College at the University of Georgia. Once part of the city’s administrative complex, including a county courthouse and a jailor’s house, the jail is a rarity in the South being one of only a few county jails built during Reconstruction. Historic Cobbham Foundation restored the jail after it was gifted to HCF by Athens Regional Medical Center, now Piedmont Athens Regional, in 1995.