Cobbham Historic District

Cobbham is a residential neighborhood northwest of downtown Athens, Georgia, that began in 1834 when John A. Cobb offered 80 lots along the road now called Prince Avenue. Before the Civil War it was almost rural, with large houses and outbuildings filling entire blocks, mostly in Greek Revival style with some Gothic Revival. Growth resumed after the war and accelerated toward the end of the century, leaving a mix of Victorian-era houses, from small frame cottages to large rambling homes with towers, turrets and elaborate porches. Notable buildings include Athens Fire Station No. 2 from 1901, the c. 1850 Cobb-Bucknell House built for Howell Cobb and later moved to its present site, and the c. 1856 Hayes-DeRenne-Spalding House. Development slowed after 1930, then growth since 1950 brought commercial intrusions and strip development. The district was listed because it preserves this layered record of Athens residential architecture and neighborhood development.