Owens, Hubert Bond, House
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Why it's listed
Built in 1941 on a long, narrow lot near the University of Georgia, this two-story brick house in Athens was designed by architect Edwin Jerome Wade for landscape architect Hubert Bond Owens. It has a side-gabled main block, a slate roof, small flanking wings and a rear screened porch. The front entrance, with fanlight and sidelights, and two Federal-style mantels were salvaged from the c. 1822 Reeves House, demolished in 1937. Owens lived here until 1989 and designed the gardens himself, with herbaceous borders, terraces, camellias and rare plantings, including mondo grass that he apparently introduced to the area. Owens founded the University of Georgia's landscape architecture program in 1928, directed it until 1973, and served as president of the American Society of Landscape Architects. The property was recognized for his national contributions, for its Colonial Revival design, and for the surviving garden layout, with significance running from 1941 to his 1973 retirement.
Significance in brief: It is tied to Hubert Bond Owens, who founded the first professional landscape architecture program in the South at the University of Georgia and led it from 1928 to 1973. The gardens he designed survive in their essential layout. The house is also considered a good, relatively late example of Colonial Revival architecture and a work of Wade.
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 08000442, listed May 14, 2008. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 215 W. Rutherford St., Athens |
|---|---|
| County | Clarke County |
| Listed | May 14, 2008 |
| Reference number | 08000442 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1941-1973 |
| Architect / builder | Owens, Hubert Bond - landscape architect; Wade, Edwin Jerome - architect |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and Early 20th Century Revivals: Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture, Landscape Architecture |
| Level of significance | National, State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a single dwelling; a larger garage replaced the original in 1991 and a large oak in the rear garden was recently lost. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Milledge Avenue Historic District |
| Coordinates | 33.94281, -83.38625 (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 08000442.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q134286315
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.