Lewis-Rothchild Building
Also known as: Commerce Building
Why it's listed
Located in downtown Columbus, Georgia, this five-story brick building at 1214 First Avenue was constructed around 1910 as a dry goods store for James A. Lewis, who later expanded his business into wholesale. Its symmetrical Classical Revival front has brick pilasters with corbelled capitals, a parapet, segmental arches and two cast iron columns marked with the James A. Lewis Company name. From 1912 until 1958 it housed David Rothschild & Company, a dry goods, notions and men's furnishings jobber that after World War II became the only converter of cotton goods in Georgia. The Lewis family sold the building in 1964, and it was modernized for offices behind a glass and steel facade. A recent rehabilitation removed that facade and the interior partitions, revealing the original storefront, window openings, plank ceilings, post-and-beam structure and freight elevator pulleys. It is listed for its architecture and its role in local commerce.
Significance in brief: It is a good, intact example of an early 20th century Classical Revival commercial building in Columbus (Criterion C). It is also significant in commerce (Criterion A) for its association with the James A. Lewis Company and with David Rothschild & Company, dry goods businesses that served the Columbus area.
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 04000239, listed March 26, 2004. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1214 First Ave., Columbus |
|---|---|
| County | Muscogee County |
| Listed | March 26, 2004 |
| Reference number | 04000239 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c.1910-1958 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals/Classical Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Commerce |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Rehabilitated to its historic appearance after the 1964 facade was removed; currently used as office space. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 32.46911, -84.99152 (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 04000239.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q134392324
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.