Building at 6 and 7 Public Square
Why it's listed
Built in 1908 on the public square in Bowman, a small railroad town in northeast Georgia, this one-story brick building holds two side-by-side storefronts, numbers 6 and 7. Its Italianate design includes cast-iron columns made by a Chattanooga foundry, large plate-glass display windows, and brickwork with stringcourses, decorative panels and recessed squares. Inside, a cased opening joins the two stores, and no. 7 has a pressed-metal ceiling and a skylight. The building is considered a well-preserved example of the commercial buildings that lined small-town squares across Georgia in the early 1900s. It also reflects Bowman's role as a local commercial center. One side served as a post office until the 1950s and the other as a jewelry store, and later occupants included a burger restaurant from the early 1980s until 2002. A 2008 rehabilitation kept the interior spaces and repaired or replaced historic doors, windows and ceilings with matching materials.
Significance in brief: It is an excellent representative example of small-town Georgia commercial buildings from the early 20th century, with very high physical integrity including cast-iron columns, decorative brickwork and pressed-metal ceilings. It is also significant in commerce, having housed many small businesses from 1908 through the mid-20th century, including a post office and a jewelry store.
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 09000750, listed September 24, 2009. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 6 & 7 Public Sq., Bowman |
|---|---|
| County | Elbert County |
| Listed | September 24, 2009 |
| Reference number | 09000750 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1908-1959 |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian: Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Commerce |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Rehabilitated in 2008 for continued commercial use; the form lists its current function as department store. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Bowman Commercial Historic District |
| Coordinates | 34.20477, -83.03167 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
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 09000750.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q85749454
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.