Whittier Mills Historic District
Why it's listed
Whittier Mills Historic District is a former cotton mill village on the south bank of the Chattahoochee River, about seven miles northwest of downtown Atlanta. Whittier Cotton Mills of Lowell, Massachusetts began building the mill and thirty wood-framed workers' cottages in 1895, and production started in 1896. The company platted the streets, rented out housing, and later added a church, school, settlement house and health facilities. A 1926 expansion with the Silver Lake Company brought 36 more dwellings, designed by the Boston firm Parsons and Wait, and a final subdivision followed in 1957. The mill buildings were demolished in the 1980s, but a brick tower and storehouse walls survive. The remaining resources include one-story duplexes and triplexes, superintendents' houses, a 1942 brick church and a 1948 Art Moderne health center. The district is recognized for its company-planned village, its industrial role in the New South, and its mill housing, which retains good integrity.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · catalog entry. Generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29).
| Period of significance | 1895-1957 |
|---|---|
| Styles | Colonial Revival; Bungalow/Craftsman; Georgian cottage; Queen Anne cottage; Gable-ell cottage |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Community Planning and Development, Industry, Social History |
| Acreage | 30 |
| Boundary source | NPS cultural-resource GIS polygon |
| Full listing page | Whittier Mills Historic District (property record) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.