County of building: Carroll County
Localization of building: City Hall Ave. & John Wesley Plaza, Carrollton
Built: 1950
Architect: Unknown
Architectural Style: Commercial Plain
Current Occupant: Religious Social Hall (Solid Rock Cafe)
District Map, Figure 4
"Last week I was invited to tour the newly renovated Solid Rock Cafe by youth pastor Ryan Shostak. The building sits at the corner of City Hall Avenue and John Wesley Plaza. Several years ago this particular building was home to a gas company’s payment center. The deposit box still remains on the side of the entrance to the building. According to Dorothy at Horton’s Bookstore, this was also home to a hardware store and a sports store many many years ago. Over the past month Carrollton First United Methodist Church has completely renovated the building. They added a more comfortable environment for the students of the church. I can remember several years ago attending a few concerts that were hosted at the Solid Rock Cafe. The youth building now features a student check in lobby along with Ryan’s new office which finally has a window! The inside now smells of fresh paint along with beautiful floors. The stage now allows the worship leader to face the center audience rather then the side. A new kitchen was added along with wooden side wall seats and new tables. Making the way downstairs to what was a dungeon now features several additional classrooms with bright and welcoming seating. The Sunday School environment now feels like you are in a living room rather than a classroom. I can remember video game stations downstairs which are no longer there now. Some additional game tables have been added along with a T-shirt wall. The T-shirt wall features past events that happened during the existence of Carrollton First United Methodist Church’s youth group. Additionally a small library for students was added downstairs near this area. Thank you Ryan for letting us feature these renovations on our website and allowing us to tour the newly renovated Solid Rock Cafe." ~ The City Menus
"Buildings located in the northern portion of the district were constructed during the early to mid-20th
century and exhibit characteristics of the Commercial style with less ornamentation. These buildings
housed hardware stores, general stores, automobile repair shops, and dry cleaners." ~ NRHP Nomination Form
"The majority of the commercial buildings within the survey area may be categorized by type, or the
basic form, exclusive of any stylistic ornamentation that may be present. In other words, a commercial
type is the basic form onto which stylistic elements are placed. A defined commercial type is generally
determined by its historic plan and height. The Georgia Historic Preservation Division (HPD) defines
six (6) commercial types: community store, corner store, retail and office, single retail, multiple retail,
and office tower. Within the Carrollton Downtown Historic District Survey Area, there are no
representations of the community store, corner store, or office tower. The following chart reflects the
breakdown of commercial types within the survey area. Four resources do not conform to a specific
commercial type. An even distribution of Single Retail and Retail and Office was observed within the
survey area.
" Alternatively, a single retail commercial building is a one-story, single unit either standing alone or
adjacent to others. Built mostly between the 1880s and 1950s, this commercial type was popular across
Georgia’s small and large towns. They commonly feature flat or sloping roofs and a three-bay façade,
or storefront. The Downtown District includes 24 examples (~40%) of this building type ...
"(NARHIGS#): 252034
Address: 14 City Hall Avenue
Date of Construction: c.1950
Current Function: Religious - Social hall
Type: free standing
Architectural Style: Commercial Plain (Early 20th Century)
NRHP Status: Contributing" ~ Historical Resources Survey