The City of Thomasville has hired consulting firm WLA Studio to conduct a historic resource survey of the Stevens Street National Register Historic District as a requirement of the Certified Local Government (CLG) program. The goal of the project is to identify properties built before 1983 that are potentially eligible for historic designation.
The City of Thomasville received a $15,000 grant administered by the State Historic Preservation Office of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs to conduct the survey. Since the original survey in 2001, many of the structures in the Stevens Street District have declined, been demolished, or are in peril of demolition by neglect.
“This new survey will further document the historic role of the Stevens Street District, which is one of Thomasville’s earliest African American neighborhoods,” noted City Planner Kenny Thompson. “It will also assist with future reinvestment strategies and initiatives that will help with the preservation of this area.”
Beginning September 18, a consultant team will start field work to look for properties that appear to fit the Georgia Historic Preservation Division's established criteria and document how many historic properties exist within the Stevens Street historic boundary. The survey team will also gather architectural data on previously recorded buildings located in the Stevens Street area for inclusion in Georgia's Natural, Archaeological, and Historic Resources GIS database, an interactive Web-based registry and geographical information system designed to catalog information about the natural, archaeological, and historic resources of Georgia.
The survey team will tour the Stevens Street District on foot. Team members will be walking the neighborhood carrying clipboards and cameras, collecting information, and photographing buildings from the public right-of-way. The information collected will focus on each building’s architecture, including building type and form, historic details, exterior materials, and other features.
For more information about the survey, please contact the City of Thomasville at (229) 227-7001.