Brunswick Old Town Historic District
Also known as: See Also:Brunswick Old Town
Why it's listed
Old Town Brunswick is a roughly 399-acre district in Glynn County, Georgia, built on a town plan laid out in 1771. The plan uses a regular grid divided into wards and squares, much like Savannah's, and still carries its original colonial street names. Shaded streets, hexagonal paving stones and frame houses with porches, brackets and scroll saw work give the area its character. Most of the buildings date from the late 19th century, when lumber shipping and new railroads drew growth to the port. After a major fire in 1885 the population doubled in three years, and brick and tabby commercial buildings went up along New Castle Street. Architects A. S. Eichberg and J. A. Wood designed notable works here, including the Old City Hall and the Mahoney House. Churches range from Gothic to Moorish in style. Urban Renewal cleared the riverfront in 1974, but the plan and much of the neighborhood survive, and many houses are being restored.
Significance in brief: The district keeps its original 1771 town plan, with wards and squares similar to Savannah's, along with the original colonial street names. It also holds an outstanding collection of late 19th century residential, commercial and public buildings from the lumber and railroad boom after the 1885 fire. Architects such as A. S. Eichberg and J. A. Wood worked there.
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). NRHP reference 79000727, listed April 26, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by 1st, Bay, New Bay, H and Cochran Sts., Brunswick |
|---|---|
| County | Glynn County |
| Listed | April 26, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79000727 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1700-1799, 1800-1899 (specific dates: 1771, late 19th C.) |
| Architect / builder | A. S. Eichberg (Old City Hall, Glynn Academy); J. A. Wood (Mahoney House, Oglethorpe Hotel); James R. Ryan (builder of commercial buildings); Moore and Valentino (planing mill, contractors) |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne, Stick style, Edwardian, shotgun cottages, and Gothic and Moorish revival churches |
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Landscape Architecture, Transportation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition marked good and altered; the district is occupied and mixed residential and commercial, with many houses being restored. The Bay Street riverfront strip was leveled under Urban Renewal in 1974 and remains largely undeveloped. |
| Acreage | 289 |
| Coordinates | 31.14558, -81.49114 (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 79000727.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives)
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16954217
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.