{"nrhp_refnum":"73000641","name":"Gertrude Herbert Art Institute","other_names":["Nicholas Ware House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"506 Telfair St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Augusta","county":"Richmond County","state":"GA","lat":33.469741473000056,"lon":-81.96129313199998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-03-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story Federal-style house at 506 Telfair Street in Augusta, Richmond County, Georgia, built in 1818 for Nicholas Ware and now used as an art institute and museum.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is one of the finest examples of Federal architecture in the United States, and unique. It blends a New England frame and shutter look with a Charleston-type plan and warm-climate adaptations. It is also tied to Nicholas Ware, a mayor of Augusta and U.S. Senator from Georgia.","narrative":"Built in 1818 for Nicholas Ware at 506 Telfair Street in Augusta, this three-story house has a brick ground floor, a raised frame upper structure and a low hip roof. Its entrance front features a three-tiered portico flanked by triple-sided, triple-story bays, with fan lights, side lights and Greek-inspired detail in the entablature and dormer. Inside, a Charleston-style double-house plan places four rooms on each floor around a wide central hall, where a spiral stair rises to the attic. Adam-style mantels and fine woodwork appear throughout. The nomination calls it one of the finest Federal houses in the country, noting how the raised living floors and through-hall suited a warm climate. Ware served as Augusta's mayor and as a U.S. Senator. The house stayed in private family use until 1937, when it was given to a corporation as a memorial and became an art institute. Alterations include an elevator, a kitchen and ground-floor classrooms.","period_of_significance":"19th Century (specific date 1818)","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Federal","criteria":[],"status_note":"Excellent condition, altered, on its original site; occupied and used as a museum and educational facility, with an art association and a preservation group using parts of the building.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:41.252682-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_GA/73000641.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000641/4ea1bdc910-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000641/4ea1bdc910-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Gwringle","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gertrude_Herbert_Art_Institute,_view_from_NW.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Gwringle</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:Gertrude_Herbert_Art_Institute,_view_from_NW.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"04000515","name":"Augusta Downtown Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/georgia/augusta-downtown-historic-district-04000515/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/93209369","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude_Herbert_Institute_of_Art","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5553329"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/georgia/richmond-county/gertrude-herbert-art-institute-73000641/"}