Southern Belting Company Building
Also known as: Toshiba Building; Garnett Station Place
Why it's listed
Southwest of downtown Atlanta, at the corner of Forsyth and Brotherton Streets, stands a five-story brick factory building completed in 1914-1915 for the Southern Belting Company. Its load-bearing brick walls hold rows of large, multi-paned steel-sash windows, and the interior is carried by a visible frame of steel, timber and cast iron. Lockwood, Greene, and Company of Boston, a leading designer of industrial plants for the textile industry, produced the design. The building made leather belts that drove textile looms and also housed the Draper Company's southeastern sales office and parts warehouse for shuttle looms. Belt manufacturing declined after the 1950s as small electric motors spread, and the company left the building in 1967. The site had been residential before commercial growth moved south from the old business district. A 1986 rehabilitation turned the building into offices while retaining its exposed frame, wood floors and open interior spaces. It is recognized for its architecture and its role in the region's textile-related industry.
Significance in brief: It is presented as a good example of Atlanta's early 20th-century industrial architecture, with load-bearing brick walls, large multi-paned steel-sash windows and a timber and metal interior frame. It also housed the Southern Belting Company, a leading leather belt maker for textile looms, and the Draper Company, a shuttle loom manufacturer. The design came from a Boston firm that led industrial design for the textile industry.
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 88001174, listed August 10, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 236 Forsyth St., SW, Atlanta |
|---|---|
| County | Fulton County |
| Listed | August 10, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88001174 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1914-1915 |
| Architect / builder | Lockwood, Greene, and Company |
| Architectural style | Commercial Style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | A 1986 certified rehabilitation converted the building to office space, keeping the exposed structural frame, wood floors and open character of the interior. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 33.74814, -84.39667 (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 88001174.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7569677
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.