Southern Railway Freight Depot
Why it's listed
Built around 1916, this long, low brick freight depot at 1300 6th Avenue in Columbus, Georgia, was constructed by Southern Railway as part of the move of its operations to the city's main rail center, between the Swift Textile Mills and Union Passenger Station. Its plan served rail and road traffic: trains unloaded on the track side while wagons and later trucks collected goods from the street side, with a fixed floor level to ease transfers. The load-bearing walls use locally made brick, and the original layout had eighteen identical open bays under exposed wooden beams and trusses, plus an office area at the south end. A wide canopy on timber brackets shelters the street side, where most of the original sliding wooden doors remain. A certified rehabilitation turned the interior into offices and converted the track-side doors into windows, keeping the original opening sizes. It is recognized for its transportation and commercial role and its plain warehouse design, with a period of significance of 1916 to 1947.
Significance in brief: It is a good representative example of a utilitarian railroad freight warehouse, with door openings on both sides, a large open warehouse room and locally made brick. It was also a vital part of Columbus's rail hub around Union Passenger Station, built when Southern Railway relocated its facilities there.
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 97000922, listed August 21, 1997. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1300 6th Ave., Columbus |
|---|---|
| County | Muscogee County |
| Listed | August 21, 1997 |
| Reference number | 97000922 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1916-1947 |
| Architect / builder | Chief Engineer's Office, Southern Railway, Washington, D.C. |
| Architectural style | OTHER: warehouse |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Transportation, Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Rehabilitated under a certified rehabilitation; the interior warehouse space is now divided into offices and the building is in commercial/business use. |
| Acreage | 1.6 |
| Coordinates | 32.47165, -84.98459 (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 97000922.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q134440246
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.