South Broad Street Historic District
Why it's listed
South Broad Street Historic District is a roughly 10-acre residential neighborhood in Rome, Georgia, laid out along a steep ridge above the Etowah River. It began as part of Hillsborough, a suburban village south of the river incorporated in 1875, and grew rapidly after the streetcar arrived and the city annexed the area in the late 1880s. Large brick and frame houses, mostly late Victorian with turrets, stained and leaded glass, and porches with turned balusters, were built for business and professional families, and most stood by 1903. Smaller one-story frame rental houses, many built by local builder Charley Blackstock, were added from about 1910 along Etowah Terrace for working-class families. Large shade trees, lawns and rock retaining walls give the street a park-like setting. The remaining intact houses are what is left of a larger neighborhood later broken up by commercial development. The district was listed for its planning, architecture, landscape design and local history, reflecting two housing types typical of Rome between 1880 and 1930.
Significance in brief: The district is argued to be significant for community planning (an early streetcar-era suburb that grew from Hillsborough), for architecture (large late Victorian houses and modest working-class rental houses), for landscape architecture (street and lot layout using the ridge and naturalistic landscaping), and for local history as the home of business and professional people and workers.
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 83004182, listed August 18, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | S. Broad St. and Etowah Terrace, Rome |
|---|---|
| County | Floyd County |
| Listed | August 18, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83004182 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1880s-1920s |
| Architect / builder | Multiple; local builder Charley Blackstock built many of the Etowah Terrace houses |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian, with some Bungalow/Craftsman |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Landscape Architecture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as occupied, in fair condition, with private residential, commercial and professional uses; two commercial intrusions lie within the district. |
| Acreage | 10 |
| Coordinates | 34.24926, -85.17769 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 83004182.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q55633560
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.