Market Building
Also known as: Agriculture Building
Why it's listed
Built in 1935-36 on North Washington Street in Clarkesville, this one-story brick building began as a farmers' market for Habersham County. The Works Progress Administration constructed it during the Great Depression, and it is one of two local buildings from that program. It has common-bond brick walls, stepped parapet ends with signboard areas, a pitched roof with exposed rafter ends, a wood monitor along the ridge, and a pedimented entry on the southwest side. The project was meant to help the local economy by providing construction jobs and a central place where area farmers could sell their products, and its location near the town square benefited nearby businesses. In the 1940s it was used to manufacture mattresses, and in the 1950s it was converted to government offices with interior partitions. It is valued as a local example of federal Depression-era work and as a utilitarian W.P.A. building type common in small Georgia towns.
Significance in brief: It is one of two local buildings built by the W.P.A. during the Great Depression, showing early major federal involvement in the town's affairs. It served as a central market for local farm products and supported downtown commerce. Architecturally it is a good example of the utilitarian type of W.P.A. building found in small Georgia towns.
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 82002437, listed August 18, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | N. Washington St., Clarkesville |
|---|---|
| County | Habersham County |
| Listed | August 18, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82002437 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | W.P.A. |
| Architectural style | Utilitarian W.P.A. building |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Politics/Government, Architecture, Agriculture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in fair condition and used for offices (SCS, ASCS, and the Habersham Planning Commission), with interior office partitions added in the 1950s. |
| Coordinates | 34.61556, -83.52789 (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 82002437.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q85783944
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.