Lagrange Commercial Historic District

Downtown LaGrange, Georgia, is organized around a courthouse square laid out in 1828 when the town became the seat of newly created Troup County. The district covers about 32 acres of mostly brick commercial and civic buildings along Main, Bull and Broad Streets and nearby streets. Most date from about 1890 to 1948, when the textile industry drove rapid growth; the population rose from 3,090 in 1890 to 17,038 in 1920. The square has been open green space since the 1936 courthouse fire. Notable buildings include the 1917 LaGrange National Bank, the 1913 post office, the 1926 City Hall, the 1922 Hotel Colonial, the 1929 LaGrange Theater and the 1939 courthouse. Several Moderne buildings from the 1940s and an International style radio station from 1957 add to the collection. Many were designed by Atlanta and New York architects, and Horace King is tied to an 1870 building on the square. The district is recognized for its architecture, its intact town plan and its long role as the county's commercial and governmental center.