Canton Apartments
Why it's listed
Canton Apartments is a three-story brick apartment building on Peachtree Road in Atlanta, in place by 1928 and then listed as "The Canton" with thirty-seven apartments. Its English Renaissance design features a central bay with an elaborate doorway, flanked by wings marked with corner quoins. Rather than following the common 1920s garden-apartment pattern of units facing a courtyard, it was built to resemble a mansion, a look that suited the nearby West Paces Ferry Road area of large homes. The building was listed for its architectural character as a good example of this approach to apartment design. It also illustrates local development patterns. Commercial growth along Peachtree Road began on the eastern edge of the area in the late 1910s and early 1920s, while residential building continued farther west. Apartments such as this one, together with others nearby, acted as a buffer between the large houses and the increasingly commercial Peachtree Road.
Significance in brief: It is significant architecturally as a good example of 1920s apartment housing built in the English Renaissance style, rather than as a garden apartment around a courtyard. It looks more like a mansion typical of the West Paces Ferry Road area than an apartment building. Locally, it reflects commercial development on the eastern edge of the area from the late 1910s and early 1920s, and it and nearby apartments served as a buffer between large homes and rapidly commercializing Peachtree Road.
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 80004456, listed December 8, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 2846--2840 Peachtree Rd., Atlanta |
|---|---|
| County | Fulton County |
| Listed | December 8, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80004456 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1928 |
| Architectural style | English Renaissance |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed in 1928 as "The Canton" with thirty-seven apartments; current use is coded as residential in the data form, but no condition is described. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Within district | Garden Hills Historic District |
| Coordinates | 33.83272, -84.38449 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
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 80004456.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q134338206
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.