{"nrhp_refnum":"94000779","name":"Oglethorpe University Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"4484 Peachtree Rd. NE.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Atlanta","county":"DeKalb County","state":"GA","lat":33.87414146400005,"lon":-84.33178084199994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1994-08-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Education","Landscape Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A historic district forming the core of the Oglethorpe University campus at 4484 Peachtree Road in Atlanta, DeKalb County, Georgia. Its Collegiate Gothic granite buildings and quadrangle were built from 1915 through 1929.","why_significant":"The district is the campus of the revived Oglethorpe University, founded by Dr. Thornwell Jacobs as a living memorial to James Oglethorpe. It is a cohesive Collegiate Gothic ensemble designed by the Atlanta firm Morgan and Dillon, with a quadrangle by landscape engineer Charles W. Leavitt, Jr. It also holds the Crypt of Civilization and reflects the growth of independent higher education in Atlanta.","narrative":"Along Peachtree Road in north Atlanta, the historic core of Oglethorpe University looks much like an English college. Blue Elberton granite buildings with Indiana limestone trim, slate roofs and Gothic tracery surround a landscaped quadrangle laid out in 1914 by Charles W. Leavitt, Jr. Morgan and Dillon designed the buildings, which include Phoebe Hearst Memorial Hall (1915), Lupton Hall with its clock tower (completed 1926), Lowry Hall (1926, expanded in 1991-92 as the library) and Hermance Stadium (first section dedicated 1929). Beneath Hearst Hall lies the Crypt of Civilization, a time capsule sealed in 1940. The campus was the work of Dr. Thornwell Jacobs, who refounded the university in Atlanta as a memorial to James Oglethorpe, Georgia's founder. The district was essentially complete by 1929 and retains its architectural integrity despite later changes, including a 1987 gatehouse and some modern buildings outside its boundaries. It remains an active campus.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Morgan and Dillon (architects); Charles W. Leavitt, Jr. (landscape engineer)","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals/Late Gothic Revival, Collegiate Gothic","criteria":[],"status_note":"Still in use as a university campus. Several buildings have been remodeled, and Lowry Hall was expanded in 1991-92 to become the Philip Weltner Library.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:42.709313-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_GA/94000779.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/94000779/ef7d784aee-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/94000779/ef7d784aee-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 2.0","author":"Distinguished Reflections","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oglethorpe_University_2016.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Distinguished Reflections</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oglethorpe_University_2016.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/93207791","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q116269410"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/georgia/dekalb-county/oglethorpe-university-historic-district-94000779/"}