Weracoba-St. Elmo Historic District
Also known as: Lakebottom; See Also:St. Elmo; Highland Hall
Why it's listed
Weracoba/St. Elmo, also known as Lakebottom, is a multi-use neighborhood in midtown Columbus, Georgia, shaded by mature hardwood trees. It combines eight subdivisions of middle-class homes, a large public park, a school and a small shopping center. Of about 440 surviving houses, most were built in the 1920s and 1930s, in Craftsman Bungalow, Tudor Revival, Neoclassical Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival styles, and the historic fabric remains largely intact. The area's roots lie in antebellum suburban estates, represented by St. Elmo, built around 1830, and Highland Hall, from the 1850s. Weracoba Park began in 1890 as Wildwood Park, a private amusement area developed by John Flournoy's Columbus Railroad Company to boost streetcar ridership and nearby land sales. The city bought part of it in 1924, with a portion becoming the site of Columbus High School. St. Elmo School (1930) and the St. Elmo Shopping Center (1939) add civic and commercial character.
Significance in brief: The district holds one of the city's and perhaps the state's largest and most intact concentrations of 1920s and 1930s middle-class suburban housing in Craftsman Bungalow, Tudor Revival, Neoclassical Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival styles. It also includes the antebellum St. Elmo and Highland Hall, the early amusement park that became Weracoba Park, and the 1939 St. Elmo Shopping Center. The form ties the area to streetcar-era suburban growth, school and park planning, and social patterns in Columbus.
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 94000665, listed July 1, 1994. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by 13th and Virginia Sts., 13th, 15th, 16th and Cherokee Aves. and Talbotton Rd., Columbus |
|---|---|
| County | Muscogee County |
| Listed | July 1, 1994 |
| Reference number | 94000665 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival; Colonial Revival, Neoclassical Revival, Tudor Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival; Bungalow/Craftsman; Moderne |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Community Planning and Development, Landscape Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as a vibrant multi-use area in current use; houses and park remain in use, St. Elmo school now serves as school system administrative offices. |
| Acreage | 210 |
| Coordinates | 32.48512, -84.96755 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 94000665.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q141796666
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.