Best, Allie M., House
Why it's listed
Built around 1930 at 122 Athens Street in Hartwell, this two-story brick house combines English Tudor exterior features with a Craftsman-style interior layout. Steep cross gables, stucco and granite details, round-arched porches, diamond-paned windows and massive chimneys give it a distinct character. Luther Temple designed it for Allie M. Best, a tobacco auctioneer and warehouseman who came to Hartwell in the mid-1920s to promote tobacco as an alternative to cotton. Members of the Temple family of builders constructed it, making it one of the few major building projects in Hartwell during the Great Depression. The grounds include terraces shaped from soil excavated for the basement, a cedar-lined drive, formal boxwood and rose gardens, a grape arbor and a pecan grove. The property was recognized for its architecture, its landscape design, and Best's role in local agriculture, including service as Hart County supervisor for the Soil Conservation Service.
Significance in brief: The house is presented as a rare local example of English Tudor architecture and one of few architect-designed houses in Hartwell, and a major building project during the Great Depression. Its terraced, formally planned grounds are significant in local landscape architecture. Allie M. Best is also linked to local agricultural history through tobacco diversification efforts and the Soil Conservation Service.
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 86002005, listed September 11, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 122 Athens St., Hartwell |
|---|---|
| County | Hart County |
| Listed | September 11, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86002005 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Luther Temple (architect); built by Walker and Jule Temple / Temple Family |
| Architectural style | English Tudor with Craftsman-style interior layout |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Landscape Architecture, Agriculture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | In good condition and used as a residence; the upstairs and basement have been converted to rental apartments. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 34.35077, -82.94148 (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 86002005.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q55603696
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.