Lavonia Commercial Historic District

Lavonia's historic downtown is a compact commercial district of about 16.5 acres built around the railroad. The town was platted in 1878 on a gridiron plan, with the depot in the central position that courthouses often hold in county seats. Most buildings are one- or two-story brick structures set against the sidewalk with continuous facades, using piers, pilasters, stringcourses, parapet panels and corbelled cornices. Notable features include cast-iron columns made in Winder, Georgia, a small granite bank building dated 1898, and the former First National Bank with dentil molding. The tiled-roof frame depot, now the Chamber of Commerce office, anchors an open green space. Cotton warehouses, service stations and retail stores show how the area evolved from a cotton yard into a specialized shopping center. The district was recognized for its architecture, original town plan, commercial role and railroad transportation heritage. A 1905 fire destroyed much of the earlier frame downtown on East Main Street.