HPD has developed a series of publications to assist in identifying and documenting historic resources in Georgia.
Documenting Properties for the National Register of Historic Places
For proposed National Register nominations, please consult the following for assistance in researching and documenting a historic property and/or district. Documentation for the National Register differs depending on the type of property or district being nominated. For complex or less well known or researched properties, please contact HPD’s National Register staff for additional guidance.
Documenting a Property in Georgia
Documenting a Property in Atlanta
Writing the Developmental History of a Community in Georgia
How to Cite Sources for a Bibliography
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
Preparing Maps for Proposed National Register District Nominations
Don’t Forget the Wife and Kids: Documenting All the Residents of Your Historic House
How to Write a Description for an Individual Property (coming soon!)
How to Write a Description for a District (coming soon!)
How to Write a Statement of Significance (coming soon!)
Building Types and Architectural Styles
The Historic Preservation Division (HPD) developed standard terminology for building types and architectural styles in Georgia to assist in identifying and documenting historic resources. Buildings are identified according to their type, which is the overall form of the building, height, and floorplan. The architectural style of a building is the exterior decoration. Building may or may not express a particular architectural style.
Houses
The most common historic resource in the state is the historic house. House types, architectural styles, and types of residential landscaping are defined in a statewide historic context titled: Georgia’s Living Places: Historic Houses in Their Landscaped Settings.
House Types in Georgia
Residential Architectural Styles in Georgia
Residential Landscaping (coming soon!)
Additional guidelines for identifying and evaluating mid-20th-century houses:
The American Small House
Ranch Houses in Georgia
…and the First Runner Up is…the Split-Level House (coming soon!)
Commercial Building Types
Store Types in Georgia
Statewide Historic Contexts
A number of statewide historic context studies are available for Georgia’s historic resources including:
African American Resources
Historic Black Resources
African-American Historic Places and Culture: A Preservation Resource Guide
Agriculture, farms, barns, outbuildings, and agricultural landscapes --
Tilling the Earth
Barn Types in Georgia
Apartments –
Modern Apartment Complexes in Georgia, 1936-1954
Community planning
Georgia Community Development and Morphology of Community Types
Schools
Building Types for Schools in Georgia
Public Elementary and Secondary Schools in Georgia, 1868-1971
Rosenwald Schools in Georgia, 1912-1937
Transportation
Historic Streetcar Systems in Georgia
Statewide Railroad Industry Context
Women’s History
Regional and Local Historic Contexts
Atlanta Postwar Housing: 1944-1965
Single-Family Residential Development in DeKalb County, Georgia 1945-1970
Additional Guidelines
Guidelines for Documenting a Historic Property to a National Level of Significance for Save America’s Treasures Grant
Guidelines for Documenting Georgia’s Archaeological Sites to the National Register (coming soon!)
How to Remove Properties from the National Register (coming soon!)
Where to Find Information
Research Files available at HPD
Files are available for researchers by appointment only. You can make an appointment by calling 404-651-5911. Times generally available are: Monday 1pm-4pm and Tuesday-Friday 9am-4pm. Research times may vary depending on HPD staff availability. Please call ahead to be sure you can access the files. Copies or scans to a flash drive are 25 cents per page. The files do not circulate. Preferred method of payment is by cash. Checks can be made out to: Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
Georgia Natural, Archaeological, and Historic Resources Geographical Information System (GNAHRGIS) is a web-based geographical information system designed to store and display information about Georgia's natural, archaeological, and historic resources. The system went on line on May 4, 2005, with information about the state's archaeological and historic resources.
External Links
The following are selected state and federal repositories of historical documents pertaining to Georgia. Remember to check your local county courthouse records, local historical societies, and local newspaper archives for additional documentation.
Digital Library of Georgia
Directory of Historical and Cultural Organizations in Georgia
Georgia Archives (Georgia’s Department of Archives and History)
Georgia’s Virtual Vault, Digital Treasures from the Georgia Archives
National Archives, Southeast Region
