First National Bank
Also known as: Broadway Branch; The Bank of Columbus
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Why it's listed
Built shortly after 1860 at 1048 Broadway in Columbus, Georgia, this three-story Italian Renaissance style bank building is the largest cast iron building in the state. William H. Young built it for the Bank of Columbus at a cost of $50,000. Two facades, the 138-foot north side and the 50-foot west side, are cast iron, while the inner and rear walls are brick. Each floor has a repeated round arch window unit with an acanthus leaf key block and fluted Corinthian engaged columns, and the entablature differs on every level. A fire in 1957 gutted the interior, leaving only the iron shell, and the upper windows were changed to plain louvered ones. The building matters because its date shows Georgia could match the cast iron architecture of New York builders such as Badger and Bogardus. After the Bank of Columbus closed in the 1860s, the building passed to an insurance company and later to several banks, and it remains a bank today.
Significance in brief: It is described as the largest cast iron building in Georgia. Its c.1860 date shows a level of sophistication equal to contemporary New York cast iron architecture by Daniel Badger and James Bogardus. Its design follows the conservative Venetian Palazzo style of the Haughwout Building in Manhattan.
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 74000697, listed November 1, 1974. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1048 Broadway, Columbus |
|---|---|
| County | Muscogee County |
| Listed | November 1, 1974 |
| Reference number | 74000697 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1860 |
| Architect / builder | William H. Young (builder) |
| Architectural style | Italian Renaissance (cast iron) |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | In good condition and still used as a bank; altered after a 1957 fire gutted the interior, which was completely remodeled. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 32.46466, -84.99336 (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 74000697.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16980790
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.