Old Medical College Historical Area
Also known as: Middle Georgia Medical College
Why it's listed
Two buildings on East Broadway Street in Griffin, Georgia, face the railroad yards in one of the city's oldest sections. The larger is the former Middle Georgia Medical College, a two-story stuccoed brick building begun in the early 1850s as a simplified Greek Revival house and enlarged around 1860 with a dining hall and later a Victorian wing. A colossal Tuscan portico wraps its street facades. Beside it stands a smaller one-story dog-trot house, home of the school's founder, Dr. E. F. Knott. The college was incorporated in 1859 and granted medical degrees before the Civil War, but Knott lost the building at a sheriff's sale in 1866. It later became the Goddard House hotel, then the Southern Hotel, and was afterward divided into apartments. It is the only one of four pre-war college buildings left in Griffin, and the pair records the town's earliest development after its 1840 founding as a railroad center.
Significance in brief: The medical college building is the only one of four pre-Civil War college buildings still standing in Griffin. The adjacent house was the residence of the school's founder, Dr. E. F. Knott. Together they show the architecture of Griffin's earliest development, combining Greek Revival with mid-Victorian additions.
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 72001469, listed December 15, 1972. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 223-233 E. Broadway St., Griffin |
|---|---|
| County | Spalding County |
| Listed | December 15, 1972 |
| Reference number | 72001469 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c. 1850-55; 1860 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival with mid-Victorian additions |
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Both buildings are altered by later wings, doors and partitions but retain mid-19th century character; the medical building was later remodeled into apartments, and a historical society plans to restore them as its headquarters. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 33.25114, -84.26096 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
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 72001469.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.