Cowles House
Also known as: Stratford Academy; Overlook
Why it's listed
Overlooking the Ocmulgee River valley, this two-story Classical Revival mansion at 988 Bond Street in Macon was built in 1836 by Elam Alexander for Jerry Cowles, a young New Yorker seeking his fortune. Pale brown stucco, green shutters, a small circular iron balcony and a colonnade of Roman Doric columns define its appearance. Inside, a free-hanging winding staircase rises to a glass-covered cupola, and a ballroom once spanned the width of the house. Wings were added in the 1850s under Joseph Bond. Cowles gave generously to Wesleyan College and was prominent in banking and railroads. Later owners included merchant and railroad promoter S.T. Coleman, whose ballroom hosted a ball for Winnie Davis in 1887, banker J.W. Cabaniss, and B.P. O'Neal, who named it Overlook in 1905. In recent years it has served as Stratford Academy, a private school that has kept the house as an architectural and historical landmark.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls the house Macon's architectural masterpiece, with a Roman Doric colonnade, a free-hanging winding staircase and a glass-covered cupola. It is also tied to a series of prominent Macon figures, including Jerry Cowles, Joseph Bond, S.T. Coleman, J.W. Cabaniss and B.P. O'Neal. Cowles was a major early supporter of Wesleyan College and of Macon's banking and railroad development.
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) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 71000251, listed June 21, 1971. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 988 Bond St., Macon |
|---|---|
| County | Bibb County |
| Listed | June 21, 1971 |
| Reference number | 71000251 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1836 |
| Architect / builder | Elam Alexander (builder) |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and in fair condition; rearranged for school use as Stratford Academy, with marble mantels and other fragile fittings removed to storage for later reinstallation. |
| Acreage | 4 |
| Within district | Macon Historic District |
| Coordinates | 32.84235, -83.63448 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 71000251.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16952404
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.