Decatur County Courthouse
.JPG){kind=link}
Why it's listed
Decatur County's courthouse in Bainbridge, at West and Water Streets, was completed in 1902 at a cost of $34,500. Alexander Blair designed it and Nicholas Ittner served as contractor. The brick building with stone trim has a projecting Corinthian portico topped by a pediment with a cartouche, a hipped roof with a balustrade and urn finials, and square and round-arched windows. A corner clock tower rises to an octagonal domed cupola with a bell lantern. The clock, bought from the E. Howard Clock Company, has an illuminated dial and a 1,200-pound bell. Inside, the courtroom retains four mantels, original louvered blinds, beaded board wainscoting and an old wooden bench, though the pressed metal ceiling was lowered. The courthouse is significant because Blair's Classical facade with a campanile was used again at the Turner County Courthouse in 1907, and these are the only two such adaptations among Georgia's surviving courthouses. Both contain E. Howard tower clocks.
Significance in brief: The courthouse uses a Classical facade with a campanile, a design architect Alexander Blair of Macon reused for the Turner County Courthouse in 1907. These two are the only examples of this adaptation among existing Georgia courthouses. Both also contain E. Howard tower clocks.
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 80001011, listed September 18, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | West and Water Sts., Bainbridge |
|---|---|
| County | Decatur County |
| Listed | September 18, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80001011 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Alexander Blair (architect); Nicholas Ittner (contractor) |
| Architectural style | Classical facade with campanile |
| Areas of significance | Economics, Law, Politics/Government, Architecture, Communications |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is marked good; the building was renovated in 1978-79. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Within district | Bainbridge Residential Historic District |
| Coordinates | 30.90694, -84.57678 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
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 80001011.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16973385
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.