{"nrhp_refnum":"02001492","name":"Blair-Rutland Building","other_names":["Blair Building"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"215 Church St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Decatur","county":"DeKalb County","state":"GA","lat":33.77388397000004,"lon":-84.29430318299995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2002-12-12","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Commerce"],"significance_levels":["state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick office building at 215 Church Street in Decatur, DeKalb County, Georgia, built in 1939 by the Farnell Blair Company in the Art Deco style.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is a state-level example of Art Deco architecture in Georgia, one of only two surviving Art Deco buildings in Decatur. It is also locally significant in commerce as a small-scale speculative office building that was technologically advanced for its time, with air conditioning.","narrative":"Built in 1939 on Church Street in Decatur, this two-story brick office building was constructed by the Farnell Blair Company, which used the second floor for its own offices. Its main facade is the focus of its Art Deco design, with a monumental brick arch around the entrance, a stepped keystone, and a cast-aluminum door with a sunburst, zigzag muntins and a Greek fret. Streamlined corners are filled with structural glass block. The building was among the more technologically advanced offices in Decatur, offering air conditioning before World War II. Guy Rutland, Sr., bought it by 1946 and leased space to many tenants, including a shoe store, an insurance company and a realty firm. A 1945 rear addition and second-floor reworking were designed by architect Jes R. Johnston, Jr. It is listed for its architecture, as one of only two surviving Art Deco buildings in Decatur, and for its role in local commerce between 1939 and 1952.","period_of_significance":"1939-1952","architect_builder":"Farnell Blair Company (builder); Jes R. Johnson (architect)","architectural_style":"Modern Movement: Art Deco, Moderne","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still used as offices; rehabilitation begun in 2000 received final certification in April 2002, and the second floor now serves as an architect's office.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:42.744071-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_GA/02001492.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02001492/2dc1387038-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02001492/2dc1387038-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Dawn DeLucia","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blair-Rutland_Building,_Decatur,_GA_2012.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Dawn DeLucia</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blair-Rutland_Building,_Decatur,_GA_2012.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"12000281","name":"Decatur Downtown Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/georgia/decatur-downtown-historic-district-12000281/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/93207738","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q134296125"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/georgia/dekalb-county/blair-rutland-building-02001492/"}