County of district: Giles County
Location of district: 1st St., Jefferson St., Madison St., & 2nd St., Pulaski
Built: 1909
Architect: Benjamin B. Smith
Contractor: George Moore & Sons.
"The Pulaski Courthouse Square Historic District is comprised of 92 buildings in a nine
block area around the 1909 Giles County Courthouse, These buildings are primarily
commercial, date from the 1860's to 1930's and exhibit in their facade detailing a
variety of architectural influences, from the Italianate to the Art Deco styles. Of
brick construction, the buildings range from one to three stories with the majority
being two stories in height, The upper stories of the commercial buildings retain a
high degree of integrity with most of their architectural embellishments intact. The
first-story storefronts of many buildings, however, have been altered extensively,
eighteen buildings do not contribute to the historical character of the district because
they have been altered to the point that their architectural integrity is lost
or they are relatively new, undistinguished buildings.
Pulaski's town plan dates from an 1809 state enactment, following an 1806 cession of
Indian lands when several towns in southern Tennessee had their beginnings, The state
act establishing Giles County appointed five commissioners to select a site for the county
seat and to divide it up for auction. The two site requirements were that the town must
be on Rich!and Creek and it must be near the center of the county. Occupying the center
of the square first was an 1811 log courthouse, This courthouse burned after two years
and was replaced by a two-story brick structure built by Archibald Alexander, which was
used-until the 1850's, The next courthouse, built in 1856, was said to be the "finest
in the state," but it soon burned because of a faulty flue. Its 1859 replacement was
designed by Heiman and was a two-story brick building with a cupola and bell. This
courthouse lasted for almost fifty years until 1907 when it was destroyed by a fire.
The present Beaux Arts building was designed by Benjamin N. Smith of Montgomery, Alabama,
and constructed by George Moore and Sons of Nashville. The current courthouse was
finished in 1909 at a cost of $135,000 with furnishings.
Pulaski's town plan is laid in a grid pattern with the courthouse situated centrally in
the town square. This arrangement,termed a block central courthouse square, has four
streets which enclose the central courthouse and divide nine blocks into a grid shape
with parallel First and Second Streets running north-south, intersected by parallel
Madison and Jefferson Streets.
The relative simplicity of the buildings facing the square act as an excellent backdrop
to the elaborateness of the courthouse. These rows of two or three-story, flat-roofed
brick commercial buildings exhibit the changes in architectural style from the 1860 s
to the 1930's. A number of buildings incorporate round-arched windows with decorative
corbeling and bracketed cornices.
Due to the establishment of leading businesses and the county court on the square,
Pulaski became the largest town and trade center in Giles County, Pulaski's square
continues to thrive and serve a variety of functions and social needs, as shown in
its buildings.
"The buildings are categorized into contributing and non-contributing structures. Contributing
buildings (C) are significant in the historic and architectural development
of the district, possess compatible design elements, and maintain the scale, use, and
texture of the district. Non-contributing buildings (N) are less than fifty years old
and/or may disrupt the scale and texture of the district, have little or no historic
or architectural significance, or have been considerably altered. They are listed
below by street address, with historic name in parenthesis. The current occupant of
each commercial building is listed at the end of the description." ~ NRHP Nomination From