Calhoun Downtown Historic District

Downtown Calhoun's historic district is a compact commercial area of 56 buildings clustered around Court Street and Wall Street, between the railroad to the west and the slopes of Mount Alto to the east. Most buildings are one to three stories of brick, with storefronts that are often altered and upper floors and cornices that are mostly intact. They date from about 1877 to 1964, and most were built before 1930. Earlier buildings used red brick with corbelled or pressed metal cornices, while those of the late 1910s and 1920s used buff and dark brick with terra cotta trim. Landmarks include the 1935 Colonial Revival post office, now the police station, the 1939 City Hall and Fire Station, the Moss-Johnson Building that later housed the Gem Theatre, and the 1964 Calhoun National Bank. The district was recognized for its architecture, its role in local commerce, and a town plan that is a modified courthouse-square layout. The 1962 courthouse is noncontributing because of 1980s alterations.