Carbo House, The
Also known as: Carbo Boarding House
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Why it's listed
Built in 1932 at 9 Tybrisa Street on Tybee Island, Georgia, the Carbo House is a two-story, 16-room frame boarding house with Craftsman details, including a low hip roof, wide eaves with exposed rafter ends, four-over-one windows and a two-tier wraparound porch. Every room opens onto the porches, a layout typical of Tybee boarding houses. J.D. and Nan Carbo of Waycross rebuilt here after a 1931 fire destroyed 25 buildings in the boarding house district, including their earlier Carbo House. It became one of the island's best-known small inns in the 1930s and 1940s, serving middle-class vacationers who wanted a cheaper alternative to Hotel Tybee. Its early success helped draw commercial growth to 16th Street. In the 1950s private bathrooms and kitchenettes were added to compete with new motels. The building remains one of the last historic boarding houses on Tybee and is still rented out today.
Significance in brief: It is a rare, largely intact surviving historic boarding house on the Georgia coast and one of a handful left on Tybee Island. It represents the island's boarding house district and the coastal resort movement, and its early success after the 1931 fire helped spur 16th Street's growth as the main commercial corridor.
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 10000273, listed May 21, 2010. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 9 Tybrisa St., Tybee Island |
|---|---|
| County | Chatham County |
| Listed | May 21, 2010 |
| Reference number | 10000273 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1932-1960 |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements: Bungalow/Craftsman |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture, Community Planning and Development, Entertainment/Recreation |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still operated as a rental property; current functions are multiple dwelling and business. Altered with 1950s bathrooms, 1970s interior paneling and 1990s attic dormers and penthouse. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 31.99202, -80.84787 (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 10000273.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q134272927
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.