Cobb, T.R.R., House
.jpg){kind=link}
Why it's listed
Prince Avenue in Athens was once a prime address for the city's elite, and the T. R. R. Cobb House is one of the few early residences left among later commercial development. The two-story white frame house was thought to have been built by Charles H. McKinley and was bought in 1842 by Joseph Henry Lumpkin. According to Cobb's papers, two octagonal wings and a two-story portico with Greek Doric columns were added in 1852, wings that are unique in Athens and reflect the octagon fashion of the 1840s and 1850s. Thomas R. R. Cobb lived here as reporter of the state Supreme Court, founder of the Lucy Cobb Institute, co-founder of the University of Georgia law school, and a Confederate brigadier general killed at Fredericksburg in 1862. Later occupants included a fraternity, and St. Joseph's Catholic Church used it as a parish house and rectory. The house was later dismantled and moved to Stone Mountain.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is significant in local and state history for its architecture and its owners. Its octagonal wings are unique in Athens, and T. R. R. Cobb, a prominent jurist and Confederate general, lived there. It is also one of the few surviving 19th-century residences on a commercialized Prince Avenue.
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). NRHP reference 13000530, listed July 23, 2013. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 175 Hill St., Athens |
|---|---|
| County | Clarke County |
| Listed | July 23, 2013 |
| Reference number | 13000530 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Charles H. McKinley (thought to have built the house) |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival with octagon-style wings and Neo-classical alterations |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | In 1975 the house was in fair condition and in need of repair, used as a parish house and rectory. Later material in the document says it was dismantled in 1985 and moved to Stone Mountain State Park, with plans to relocate it to Athens. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Cobbham Historic District |
| Coordinates | 33.95949, -83.38506 (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 13000530.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives)
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7668611
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.