Baber, Dr. Calvin M., House
Why it's listed
Built around 1924-1925 on Penfield Road in Greensboro, Georgia, this one-story frame Bungalow was the home of Dr. Calvin M. Baber, a Meharry Medical College graduate who arrived from Alabama in the early 1920s and became the town's second black physician. He practiced until his death in 1945 and also bought, sold and improved real estate, owning a downtown building that housed his office and other black businesses. The house sits in the "Railroad" neighborhood, one of two historically black areas of the town. It has weatherboard siding, a gabled metal roof, exposed rafter ends, board-and-batten gables and a full-width porch on square columns. Local accounts suggest Baber reused salvaged materials, which may explain the mix of window types. The house is considered a good local example of Craftsman design and the only surviving historic structure tied to Greensboro's black physicians, in a community where few historic black resources remain.
Significance in brief: The house is a good local example of an early 20th-century Craftsman/Bungalow in Greensboro's black community, where few historic structures survive. It is also the only historic structure in the community associated with Greensboro's black physicians, and Dr. Baber was the town's second black doctor and a community leader.
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 87001439, listed December 17, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Penfield Rd., Greensboro |
|---|---|
| County | Greene County |
| Listed | December 17, 1987 |
| Reference number | 87001439 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1924/1925-1937 |
| Architect / builder | unknown |
| Architectural style | Craftsman/Bungalow |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Health/Medicine, Black, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Rental residential use; described as in fair condition, with additions on the side and rear. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 33.58451, -83.17388 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
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 87001439.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q55609967
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.