Manchester Community Building
.JPG){kind=link}
Why it's listed
Built in 1935 in downtown Manchester, Georgia, this two-story red brick community building was funded with $15,000 from the city matched by federal relief money. Designed by the Atlanta firm Daniell and Beutell in the Colonial Revival style, it has a Palladian-inspired brick entrance portico with cement quoins, a theater-style ticket window, and a large upper-floor hall with a stage, dressing rooms, built-in bleachers, steel roof beams and a tongue-and-groove oak athletic floor. The basement level holds offices and open space. Over the years it hosted City Council meetings, elections for more than forty years, basketball tournaments, scout events, civic club meetings, Veterans Day ceremonies, a kindergarten, and a regional library that operated for about thirty years. During World War II it served as the local USO headquarters. It was also used for job and factory worker training. The 1935 to 1952 period reflects its role as the town's central gathering place and its New Deal origins.
Significance in brief: It is significant in architecture as an intact Colonial Revival civic building of the New Deal era and as work of the Atlanta firm Daniell and Beutell. It is significant in politics and government and recreation because it was built with Federal Emergency Relief Administration money and served for decades as the city's meeting hall, polling place, library, USO headquarters and athletic venue.
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 01001537, listed January 28, 2002. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 105 E 2nd Ave., Manchester |
|---|---|
| County | Meriwether County |
| Listed | January 28, 2002 |
| Reference number | 01001537 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1935-1952 |
| Architect / builder | Daniell and Beutell, of Atlanta. |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals/Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Politics/Government, Entertainment/Recreation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Deemed unsuitable for public use as a polling place in 1989; described as continuing multi-use until recent times and awaiting renovation. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 32.85204, -84.61482 (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 01001537.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q134391787
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.