Valdosta Commercial Historic District (Boundary Increase)

Downtown Valdosta's commercial core was first listed in 1983, and this update enlarges it by two acres on the north and south sides. Six buildings were added: the 1898 First Baptist Church designed by Stephen F. Fulgham, a late-1930s telephone exchange, a Streamline Moderne automobile dealership from about 1940, a furniture building from about 1900, and two brick warehouses. Ten buildings once judged noncontributing were reclassified after reaching fifty years of age or having false facades removed, including a 1940s International Style Kress store front and a 1947 Big Star Food Store. Two monuments on the courthouse square were also counted. The district reflects Valdosta's role as a regional commerce center, its gridiron plan and courthouse square dating to the 1860 incorporation, and its function as the county's governmental center. The period of significance now runs from 1860 to 1952, the year the last major building was completed.