Fairburn Commercial Historic District
Why it's listed
Downtown Fairburn, about 25 miles southwest of Atlanta, preserves a compact business center built around the railroad. The district covers roughly 12 acres and includes two angled blocks of one- to three-story commercial buildings along West Broad Street, a passenger depot and a freight depot, and three concrete railroad overpasses, all of the transportation structures dating from 1917. The storefronts use red and buff brick, stone, terra cotta and pressed metal, with cast-iron columns, transom windows and brick cornices. The Elder building of 1903 has a metal front marked by Mesker Bros. of St. Louis. Amateur architect Charles Lipham designed the Fairburn Banking Building and the Guy Hearn Ford Company. The district was recognized for architecture, commerce, transportation and its unusual angled street layout, which departs from the strict grid common in Georgia downtowns. Fairburn served as county seat of Campbell County from 1871 to 1932 and was known as a banking town because of its rail connection. The period of significance runs from 1869 to 1938.
Significance in brief: The district is described as an unusually well-preserved central business district typical of a small Georgia city. It is significant for architecture, commerce, community planning (an unusual angled street pattern) and transportation, as a rail stop with passenger and freight service. It meets Criteria A and C and is significant at the local level.
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 88002015, listed October 20, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly along W. Broad St. and RR tracks between Smith and Dood Sts., Fairburn |
|---|---|
| County | Fulton County |
| Listed | October 20, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88002015 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1869-1938 |
| Architect / builder | Charles Lipham |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian: Italianate; Late 19th/20th century Revivals: Classical Revival; Late 19th/20th century American Movements: Commercial Style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Commerce, Transportation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Historic and current functions are both listed as commerce (department stores) and rail-related transportation. Only one noncontributing building exists in the district, a remodeled historic building. |
| Acreage | 12 |
| Coordinates | 33.56675, -84.58160 (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 88002015.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q49487939
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.