{"nrhp_refnum":"87000696","name":"Young Women's Christian Association Complex","other_names":["Thomas,Stevens,House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"345--347 W. Hancock St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Athens","county":"Clarke County","state":"GA","lat":33.958845738000036,"lon":-83.38071352699995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1987-05-12","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Entertainment/Recreation","Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-building complex at 345-347 West Hancock Street in Athens, Georgia, just west of downtown: an 1849-1850 Greek Revival house (the Stevens Thomas House), a c. 1900 servants' house, and a brick YWCA Athletic Building built in 1913 and designed by Fred J. Orr.","why_significant":"The nomination argues state-level significance in architecture, entertainment/recreation and social history. The Stevens Thomas House is one of the finest remaining Greek Revival houses in Athens, and the Athletic Building is a classically inspired eclectic design by architect Fred J. Orr. The complex was the Athens YWCA headquarters from 1913 to 1980, and appears to be the oldest surviving building in Georgia built for YWCA purposes.","narrative":"Three buildings on a corner lot west of downtown Athens, Georgia, make up this former YWCA headquarters. The oldest is the Stevens Thomas House, a two-story Greek Revival house of 1849-1850 with a full-width portico and a central-hall plan. It was rotated 90 degrees in 1911-1912 to face Hancock Street, making room for the YWCA Athletic Building, a two-story brick structure of 1913 designed by Athens native Fred J. Orr. Its portico, quoins and modillioned cornice recall small-town Carnegie libraries. A c. 1900 servants' house was also moved to the rear corner of the lot. The Athens YWCA, formed in 1906, used the house as a boarding home and the gymnasium for recreation, swimming, basketball and public dinners until 1980. The complex is considered the oldest surviving building in Georgia built for YWCA use. The Athletic Building was later rehabilitated for offices.","period_of_significance":"1913-1937","architect_builder":"Orr, Fred J. (1874-1935), architect","architectural_style":"Greek Revival (Stevens Thomas House); eclectic with Neoclassical influences (YWCA Athletic Building)","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"The Athletic Building was rehabilitated for offices under a certified rehabilitation completed by 1985, with the swimming pool covered and the interior subdivided. The YWCO moved to new facilities in 1980 and sold the complex.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:43.355889-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_GA/87000696.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87000696/84bd676c58-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87000696/84bd676c58-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Gwringle","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_YWCA_building,_c._1915,_photographer_facing_SE.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:Old_YWCA_building,_c._1915,_photographer_facing_SE.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/93207524","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YWCA_Building_Complex_(Athens,_Georgia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q124735353"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/georgia/clarke-county/young-womens-christian-association-complex-87000696/"}