Greensboro Depot
Why it's listed
Built around 1917 on West Street in Greensboro, this one-story brick depot with an attached wooden warehouse served the Georgia Railroad for both passengers and freight. Railroad engineer S. R. Young designed it, reportedly his first project for the company, and he later rose to become its president and general manager. The building shows Richardsonian Romanesque character in its long, low massing, broad hipped roof with bracketed eaves, bay projections and wide arched breezeways. Inside, a central octagonal office area separates the former white and black waiting rooms, a layout typical of the Southern region that survives today. The separate freight warehouse distinguishes it from many Georgia depots, where freight rooms were part of the main building. The depot is significant as an example of late Richardsonian depot design and as Greensboro's main surviving link to the railroad that carried its agricultural goods and supported the Mary Leila Cotton Mill. Freight trains still use the line, and part of the building is leased commercially.
Significance in brief: The depot is argued to be an excellent, intact small-town example of Richardsonian Romanesque design, built late enough that few depots of this style remain in Georgia. It is linked to designer S. R. Young, who later became president of the Georgia Railroad. It is also Greensboro's only surviving building, apart from a few warehouses, tied to the railroad that shaped the town's economy.
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 87001441, listed September 9, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | West St., Greensboro |
|---|---|
| County | Greene County |
| Listed | September 9, 1987 |
| Reference number | 87001441 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | S. R. Young, Railroad Engineer |
| Architectural style | Richardsonian Romanesque |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Transportation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Fair condition; rail service is limited to freight and part of the building is leased as a feed and seed store. Windows are covered with plywood. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Leila, Mary, Cotton Mill and Village |
| Coordinates | 33.57838, -83.18407 (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 87001441.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q134356383
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.