Description
Between the Rivers Historic District [†] encompasses the contiguous historic commercial, residential, institutional and industrial areas in the oldest section of the city of Rome. The district is a very hilly area, three-quarters encircled by the Etowah and Oostanaula Rivers. In 1834, at the time of the initial settlement of Rome, the streets in this area were laid out in a grid pattern with only slight modifications in regularity made for the topography. Lots and buildings in both the commercial and residential areas are, almost without exception, perpendicular to the streets.
The commercial area of the district is centered in the low-lying area along Broad Street between First Avenue and Sixth Avenue. Here, predominately two to four story brick buildings with party walls and no landscaping are set back uniformly along the sidewalk. Buildings date from the 1870s to the 1930s and display typical Victorian, Neo-Classical and early-twentieth century commercial design features. Pre-1900 structures feature typical Victorian decorative elements such as brick corbelling, sign plates, window hoods, rounded windows, wooden brackets, and large storefronts. The Second Empire Style Masonic Temple is the finest remaining building from this period. The buildings from the early years of the twentieth century display classically inspired detailing such as balustrades, pedimented window hoods, and corner quoins. Those from the 1920s typically have less detailing and flatter facades. Some commercial buildings have been altered in recent years by the addition of metal and plate glass store fronts to the first floors and by interior remodeling. At the north end of Broad Street in the Fifth and Sixth Avenue area are a cluster of Rome's historic public buildings including the old Floyd County Courthouse, the Municipal Building, and Carnegie Library. Two historic bridges, one a reinforced concrete bridge that carries Broad Street across the Etowah River and the other a steel truss bridge that carries Second Avenue across the Oostanaula River, are included in the district.
Residential areas are located to the north (a small fragment of a once much larger area) and the southeast of the central business district. While a few Greek Revival and Gothic Revival structures from the mid-nineteenth century remain, most houses are from the Victorian, turn-of-the-century, and early twentieth century periods. Houses from the Victorian era exhibit typical Queen Anne, Eastlake, Gothic, and Romanesque design features including on the exterior, scrollwork/decorative shingles, and dormers and, on the interior, asymmetrical plans, stained glass windows, and decorative wood trim. Many large Neoclassical style houses with prominent columned porches, and smaller more modest houses with little ornamentation, were built in the district in the early years of the twentieth century. During the 1920s a few bungalows and apartment buildings completed the housing stock. Buildings are constructed primarily of wood or brick with a frequent use of stone trim. Very large and imposing houses and apartments are located in the southern part of the district, with the housing becoming more modest in character towards the north. Lots in the very hilly residential area are relatively small in size but feature extensive landscaping including the frequent use of stone for street curbs, retaining walls and walks, and many informally planted trees, hedges, flowers and shrubs. In the midst of the residential area is Tower Hill, site of Rome's prominent and historic 1871 Clock Tower, originally part of the first public water works in north Georgia.
Significance
Between the Rivers Historic District is architecturallly and historically significant for the comprehensive way in which it represents the historic development of the City of Rome from its founding in 1834 through the 1930s. In terms of community planning and development the district is significant for the way it represents a planned nineteenth- century city and county seat. In terms of architecture, the district is significant for its many intact commercial, residential, institutional, and industrial buildings ranging in date from the 1850s to the 1930s which provide a fine picture of Rome's historical development into a prosperous regional center. In terms of landscape architecture, the district is significant for its late nineteenth-early twentieth century residential land- scaping. In terms of commerce, the district is significant for its many commercial buildings which reflect Rome's historic importance as a regional commercial center. In terms of industry, Between the Rivers is significant as the historic location of Rome's industrial development which played such an important part in the city's growth and prosperity. In terms of engineering, the district is historically significant for the location in its midst of the Rome Clock Tower and two historic bridges. In terms of medicine, the district is significant for a building associated with Dr. Robert Battey, a Rome physician of national prominence who pioneered in medical care for women and in design for health care facilities. In terms of politics/government, the district is significant as the seat of local government for the City of Rome and for Floyd County. In terms of historic archaeology, the district is significant for the assumed archaeological potential in the Broad Street commercial area where an eight-foot rise in the street level dating from the 1880s may have preserved evidence of earlier commercial building layout, materials, and techniques. The above areas of significance support the district's eligibility under National Register criteria
Community Planning and Development
Rome is an important example in Georgia of a planned nineteenth-century city and county seat. It was established and laid out in 1834 as a speculative venture meant for commerce and trade as well as for government functions. Its location at the junction of two navigable rivers was a deliberate choice to facilate transportation. Its gridiron plan was typical of nineteenth-century town planning but somewhat unusual for Georgia in its more linear and less centralized orientation. Rome is one of the few county seats in Georgia in which the courthouse was not centrally located as the community's focal point.
Between the Rivers Historic District encompasses this initial area laid out in 1834. It retains the original street alignment and reflects the incremental growth of the city as it developed from 1834 to about 1930 when development was virtually halted by the Great Depression. In the residential area, located primarily on the high hills south and east of Broad Street, houses remain to document all periods of the city's development. Large numbers of late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century residences attest to these periods being ones of particular prosperity and growth for Rome. In the commercial area centered along Broad Street a similar pattern emerges. Buildings here date from the late 1870s on. They reflect the city's strong recovery from its partial Civil War destruction in November 1864 by Sherman's troops and also its steady growth thereafter generated by its increasing industrial base, its role as an important cotton marketing center, and its function as a regional trade center. By 1920, Between the Rivers had essentially reached its present level of density, and further development generally occurred on sites of earlier buildings. The Depression ended development and when it began again in the 1940s most of it occurred outside the district. 1960s and 1970s industrial and commercial development has made some inroads into the southeast portion of the district, but a major portion of the historic city of Rome remains intact in Between the Rivers.
Architecture
The wide variety of buildings in Between the Rivers Historic District is representative of the type of historic architecture found in Georgia's larger cities. These structures reflect prevailing national principles and practices of architecture as they were locally interpreted. The majority of the buildings in the district were designed by local carpenter/builders, but some of the more important commercial and public buildings were the work of architects such as Bruce and Morgan (Old Floyd County Courthouse) and A. Ten Eyck Brown (Municipal Building) with statewide reputations. Most of the structures feature typical building materials and techniques, with load-bearing brick predominating in the commercial area and woodframed construction with exterior weatherboarding being most common in the residential areas. Buildings date from the 1850s to the 1930s and include a wide variety of building types such as private residences, apartment houses, churches, banks, hotels, office buildings, stores, municipal buildings, a school, a library, and industrial buildings. Among the architectural styles well-represented are vernacular and high style examples of the Greek Revival, Goth Revival, Second Empire, Queen Anne, Victorian Commercial, Neoclassical, and Bungalow/Craftsman.
Landscape Architecture
In terms of landscape architecture, the district is significant for its late nineteenth-early twentieth century residential landscaping which features the informal use of retaining walls, walks, trees, shrubs, and flowers in individual lots to create a naturalistic and park-like setting which flows from one lot to the next. This type of landscaping is characteristic of that found in the residential areas of small towns and cities throughout the country and represents accepted landscaping practices of the period. The frequent use of finely-crafted stone retaining walls in the extremely hilly residential areas is an important local landscaping feature.
Commerce
Between the Rivers Historic District contains the historic commercial center of Rome and provides an extensive intact example of the historic commercial fabric of a mid-sized Georgia city as it evolved over nearly a half century. The extent of the commercial area and the wide variety in type and style of the commercial buildings re- flects Rome? s importance as a regional commercial center. From the city's establish- ment in 1834, Broad Street served as the focus of the town's commercial activity. By 1900, the area with its offices, stores, banks, warehouses, hotels, and theatres had established itself as the center of wholesale and retail trade for thirteen counties in northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama.
Industry
In terms of industry, Between the Rivers District is significant as the historic location of Rome's industrial development which played such a large part in the city's growth and prosperity. Rome's riverside location was selected to promote industry, and beginning in 1855 with the establishment of an iron foundry the area along the Etowah at the south of the district began to develop as an industrial area. By the early twentieth century a variety of industrial concerns in the city, including some in the district, were shipping products across the southeast. A few of these historic industrial structures remain along the Etowah to document Between the Rivers' impact and role in the industrial development of the city. A number of the fine houses located in Between the Rivers' residential section were built and lived in by plant owners and managers.
Engineering
Engineering significance in Between the Rivers is explained by the presence in the district of the Rome Clock Tower (listed in the National Register in 1980) and two historic bridges. The 1871 Rome Clock Tower is the only remnant of Rome's original public waterworks, the first such facility to be built in North Georgia. The so-called "Clock Tower" is actually a water tower topped with a clock containing a 250,000 gallon tank which stored water pumped up from a well close to the Etowah River. The 1916-1917 solid-arch concrete bridge that carries Broad Street over the Etowah River and the 1930 iron truss bridge spanning the Ooostanaula at Second Avenue document bridge construction of their type and period.
Medicine
Dr. Robert Battey, a Rome physician of national prominence, pioneered in both medical care for women and design for health care facilities. The development of his Woman's Hospital in 1880 was an undertaking of special significance for the city for it attracted patients from a number of states. One unit of his innovative hospital complex composed of frame cottages linked by covered walkways remains at the corner of First Avenue and Fourth Street.
Politics/Government
The district is significant as the seat of local government for the city of Rome and of county governmnt for Floyd County. The presence of these important institutions is represented by the late-nineteenth century Floyd County Courthouse (listed in the National Register in 1980 and presently being rehabilitated for county offices), the turn-of-the-century United States Post Office and Federal Courthouse (listed in the National Register in 1975 and presently used as the Floyd County Courthouse), and the early- twentieth century Municipal Building.
Historic Archaeology
Before levees were constructed along the surrounding rivers, the low-lying portions of Between the Rivers were frequently subjected to spring flooding. In 1886, a particularly disasterous flood destroyed three bridges and sent steamboats up Broad Street as far north as Fifth Avenue. Subsequently, to alleniate the flooding problem, the level of Broad Street and its flanking storefronts from between Fourth and Fifth Avenues to the Etowah River was raised eight feet. As a result of that action, archaeological potential which might lead to information about an earlier period of commercial building on Broad Street (the earliest extant buildings on the street date from the late 1870s) is assumed.
† Adapted from: Carolyn Brooks, National Register Researcher Historic Preservation Section, Georgia Deptartment of Natural Resources, Between the Rivers istoric District, nomination document, 1983, National Register of Historic Places, Washington, D.C., accessed September, 2025.
Street Names
1st Avenue East • 1st Street • 2nd Avenue East • 2nd Street • 3rd Avenue East • 3rd Street • 4th Avenue East • 4th Street • 5th Avenue East • 6th Avenue East • Broad Street • College Avenue • Garner Way