Southern Bell Telephone Company Building
.jpg){kind=link}
Why it's listed
Rising fourteen stories at 51 Ivy Street, N.E., in Atlanta, this limestone-covered telephone company building was completed in 1929 to designs by Marye, Alger and Vinour. Its massive, block-like form has little surface articulation beyond window openings and shallow, often geometric ornament, most visible around a two-story arched entrance on Ivy Street with bronze double doors. The original building had six stories; additions in 1947, 1948 and 1963 brought it to its present height, still about half of the twenty-five-story pyramidal tower the architects first sketched. The nomination presents it as the only fully typical surviving Atlanta example of the modernistic style and the only surviving example of pyramidal building form in the city. A 1930 magazine writer called it a pioneer of the strictly modern manner, in contrast to the firm's ornate Shrine Mosque and Fox Theatre. Today it houses mainly electronic equipment, and a rooftop tower is noted as an intrusion.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is the only good surviving Atlanta example of the modernistic style, with finely incised ornament and a pyramidal massing approach unique in the city. It was described in 1930 as one of Atlanta's first truly modernistic structures. Later additions and a rooftop equipment tower are acknowledged as intrusions, but the building is still called a downtown landmark.
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 78000985, listed December 1, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 51 Ivy St., NE, Atlanta |
|---|---|
| County | Fulton County |
| Listed | December 1, 1978 |
| Reference number | 78000985 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- |
| Architect / builder | Marye, Alger and Vinour |
| Architectural style | Modernistic |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Communications |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied, privately owned and altered; the upper floors and roof are now used mainly for telephone and electronic communications equipment. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 33.75575, -84.38543 (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 78000985.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7569670
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.