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Despite the mountain of research and evidence that must be presented in a case, one way for property owners and municipalities to boost the value of an area or property without bringing in a construction or renovation crew is to get a listing on the Register of Historic Places. Georgia currently has more 2,200 listings out of the 90,000 listed nationwide, from the antebellum Dorsey-Fife House in Fayetteville to the Historic District in Savannah.
This week, Georgia’s Historic Preservation Division (HPD) announced this year’s recipients of the designation. The listings are all in the Atlanta area. The goal of the program is to encourage increased preservation of historic property by helping to raise awareness with both owners and the broader public. A listing does not come with any real limitations on development but the program aims to educate owners on the value of preservation, both in historic and monetary terms. A listing is an easy thing to list as part of a sale and brings some prestige to a site that raises value.
The recipients this year are:
- Washington Carver Homes, City of East Point, Fulton County;
- Daniel E. Conklin House, City of Atlanta, Fulton County; and,
- Virginia-Highland Historic District Expansion, City of Atlanta., Fulton and DeKalb Counties.
The Carver Homes are a good example of a listing boosting the value of a property to an owner, in this case the Braden Fellman Group, a large rental management group across the Atlanta area. The homes are not much to look at from the outside but represent a unique period of post-war history in the United States. Built exclusively for African-Americans after World War II, the buildings were constructed as part of federal intervention during racial segregation in the then-Jim Crow South.
On the other end of the socioeconomic ladder is the Conklin House, built around the same period in 1937 but under entirely different circumstances. Located in Tuxedo Park and built by nationally renowned architect Phillip Shutze, it was designed in the English Regency Revival Style. The style was popular in England in the early 19th century and saw a boom in the U.S. during the 1920’s and 30’s for those who could afford it. Nine other Shutze buildings in the Atlanta area are listed on the Register.
The HPD, which runs the historic register program switched into the Department of Community Affairs from the Department of Natural Resources in 2021. As the historic preservation efforts of the state matured from being less focused on now-protected ruins or 18th and 19th century sites, into more of a focus on 20th century architecture that is quickly disappearing, it made sense to move the HPD into the DCA. The redevelopment of many of Georgia’s rural downtowns is assisted in its efforts by the HPD and DCA, now both in the same office.
“The Historic Preservation Division’s program targets, such as economic development, resource protection, local and regional planning, and downtown revitalization, are in direct alignment with DCA’s mission, vision and values,” said Christopher Nunn, commissioner. “Both agencies serve diverse needs across the state.”
“Through programs like the National Register of Historic Places, Certified Local Governments, and others, we work with partners both inside and outside state government to encourage regional and local planning, neighborhood conservation, downtown revitalization, heritage tourism and archaeological site protection.”
