Parr, Calvin W., House
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Why it's listed
Built in 1889 at 277 Bloomfield Street in Athens, Georgia, this one-story Victorian cottage has a multi-gabled roof, weatherboard siding, and a T-shaped plan with wraparound porches. Sunburst designs decorate the front and side gables, and scroll-sawn porch balustrades add detail. Inside, a central hall organizes the rooms, and much of the original plaster, hardware, and woodwork survives. The most notable feature is the stenciling on the parlor and hall walls and ceilings, executed in bright colors with bronze powders and featuring Greek key borders, griffins, and classical busts. Calvin W. Parr, the first owner and a decorator, created it. The parlor also has a cast-iron mantel with painted panels. The house was recognized as a nearly intact late Victorian cottage, as probably the last surviving example of stenciled interiors in Athens, and as the home of a member of the Parr family, whose firm did much of the painting and sign work in the city during the 1890s.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is a near-perfect, virtually intact example of a late Victorian cottage. It also contains rare interior wall and ceiling stenciling by its first owner, decorator Calvin W. Parr, believed to be the only surviving example of this decoration in Athens. It is further tied to the Parr family, who were prominent decorative-arts craftsmen in the region.
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 82002394, listed September 9, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 227 Bloomfield St., Athens |
|---|---|
| County | Clarke County |
| Listed | September 9, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82002394 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Architect unknown; Decorator, Calvin W. Parr |
| Architectural style | Late-nineteenth century Victorian cottage |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Art, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied as a private residence; condition listed as fair, with alterations noted. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Within district | Bloomfield Street Historic District |
| Coordinates | 33.94820, -83.38561 (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 82002394.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q134287306
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.