Franklin House (Athens, Georgia)
Encyclopedia
The Franklin House is a three-story brick historic building located at 464-480 East Broad Street, in Athens, Georgia
. It was built in three phases between 1845 and 1860. Originally a mercantile building with an antebellum hotel on the upper floors, from 1865 to 1972 it was a hardware store. In the 1970s it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
, and in the 1980s it was restored and turned into office space.
and Greek Revival
styles. It has a saddle roof with gabled ends. Second floor doors originally opened onto a porch and a pedestrian bridge, neither of which remain. In 1886, a cast-iron front was installed for the first floor.
and was acquired at auction by William L. Mitchell; he also operated a hotel called the Mitchell House and was one of the best-known hotel owners of the period. The building originally held the mercantile operations on the ground floor; the Franklin Hotel was later added on the upper levels. A silversmith, Asaph K. Childs, occupied a shop on the ground floor. Other early tenants of Franklin House advertising their services included R.L. Wood & Co. offering daguerreotype
services and O. Munsen, M.D., "surgeon dentist". The building was sold to John W. Nicholson for $17,000. On July 15, 1871, while under Nicholson's ownership, a fire occurred in the second and third stories of the building, doing over a thousand dollars worth of damage, "But the almost superhuman energy of the Firemen was so promptly and effectively applied us [sic] to very soon get the fire under control, and in half an hour, all danger was over".
, to buy the property. To stabilize the building, the organization asked for a grant from the National Park Service
and received $30,000. Hugh Fowler, a local businessman, bought the building in 1977 and began restoring it. He later sold it to Broad Street Associates of Tucker, Georgia, who completed the renovation which turned the building into office space, some of which is now leased by the University of Georgia. The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation
gave them an award in 1983 "for outstanding restoration and adaptive use". Surber Barber Choate & Hertlein Architects, Inc. did the architecture for the restoration, which was implemented by Driver Construction Company.
; on March 6, 1990, it was designated as a local Historic Landmark.
Athens, Georgia
Athens-Clarke County is a consolidated city–county in U.S. state of Georgia, in the northeastern part of the state, comprising the former City of Athens proper and Clarke County. The University of Georgia is located in this college town and is responsible for the initial growth of the city...
. It was built in three phases between 1845 and 1860. Originally a mercantile building with an antebellum hotel on the upper floors, from 1865 to 1972 it was a hardware store. In the 1970s it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, and in the 1980s it was restored and turned into office space.
Description
The structure's architecture displays elements of both FederalFederal architecture
Federal-style architecture is the name for the classicizing architecture built in the United States between c. 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815. This style shares its name with its era, the Federal Period. The name Federal style is also used in association with furniture design...
and Greek Revival
Greek Revival architecture
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
styles. It has a saddle roof with gabled ends. Second floor doors originally opened onto a porch and a pedestrian bridge, neither of which remain. In 1886, a cast-iron front was installed for the first floor.
Early history
The lot for the building was owned by the University of GeorgiaUniversity of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
and was acquired at auction by William L. Mitchell; he also operated a hotel called the Mitchell House and was one of the best-known hotel owners of the period. The building originally held the mercantile operations on the ground floor; the Franklin Hotel was later added on the upper levels. A silversmith, Asaph K. Childs, occupied a shop on the ground floor. Other early tenants of Franklin House advertising their services included R.L. Wood & Co. offering daguerreotype
Daguerreotype
The daguerreotype was the first commercially successful photographic process. The image is a direct positive made in the camera on a silvered copper plate....
services and O. Munsen, M.D., "surgeon dentist". The building was sold to John W. Nicholson for $17,000. On July 15, 1871, while under Nicholson's ownership, a fire occurred in the second and third stories of the building, doing over a thousand dollars worth of damage, "But the almost superhuman energy of the Firemen was so promptly and effectively applied us [sic] to very soon get the fire under control, and in half an hour, all danger was over".
Later history
The hotel closed in 1865, and the building was subsequently occupied by the Childs-Nickerson Company (incorporated in 1889 as the Athens Hardware Company) until 1972. The building had become unstable and was to be demolished, but in 1973 the Athens-Clarke Heritage Foundation began raising funds to acquire it. They collected $75,000, including a grant from governor Jimmy CarterJimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
, to buy the property. To stabilize the building, the organization asked for a grant from the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
and received $30,000. Hugh Fowler, a local businessman, bought the building in 1977 and began restoring it. He later sold it to Broad Street Associates of Tucker, Georgia, who completed the renovation which turned the building into office space, some of which is now leased by the University of Georgia. The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation
Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation
The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation is the country's largest statewide, nonprofit preservation organization with more than 8,000 members...
gave them an award in 1983 "for outstanding restoration and adaptive use". Surber Barber Choate & Hertlein Architects, Inc. did the architecture for the restoration, which was implemented by Driver Construction Company.
Historic status
The Historic American Building Survey documented the building, listed as GA-1122. On December 11, 1974, it was listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
; on March 6, 1990, it was designated as a local Historic Landmark.