County of district: Carroll County
Location of district: Roughly bounded by Southern Railroad, North Ave., and East Gordon and West Church Sts. , Villa Rica
Number of buildings: 38
"Villa Rica is located in the west Georgia county of Carroll, which borders Alabama to the west. Villa
Rica is a cross-rail community that was laid out in a gridiron plan in response to the railroad that runs
east to west through the center of town. The North Villa Rica Commercial Historic
District comprises the north half of town, the most intact part of downtown Villa Rica. The historic
district includes the rail line and five blocks of mostly one-story brick commercial buildings between
North Avenue and East Gordon Street. Most of the buildings in the district were built between 1900
and 1929. The historic district includes segments of Main and Temple streets and the public square.
Georgia State Highway 61 runs parallel to Main Street on the south side of the rail line.
"Villa Rica was laid out in 1883. An advertisement promoted "94 beautiful lots at auction" in Villa
Rica, the "village of gold." The town plan depicted in the ad comprised eleven blocks, six on the
north side of the rail line and five fronting the south side of the rail line. Additional blocks were laid
out north and south of these forming a gridiron plan with the railroad line trending east to west
through the center of the commercial district. This cross-rail plan is common in Georgia communities
that were established along rail lines in the last decades of the 19th century.
"The North Villa Rica Commercial Historic District includes five blocks of commercial buildings north
of the rail line. These blocks consist of mostly attached one-story brick commercial buildings
constructed between 1900 and 1929. Many buildings in the district feature a center entrance flanked
by display windows and some decorative brickwork along the parapet. Many
of the commercial buildings are plain but some are highly ornate, such as 141 Temple Street, which
includes arched windows and transom with raised keystones and a brick paneled parapet. The buildings at 141 and 121 Temple Street both feature mouse-tooth brickwork above
paneled entablature. The Masonic Lodge, built in 1914 at 113 Temple Street, is the
only two-story commercial building in the historic district. It is a masonry building
covered with stucco. One of its two street-level entrances and its four sash windows above are set
within segmental arches.
"The historic district also includes six buildings that served as commercial cotton warehouses.
Because of the historic district's close proximity to the depot and the demand for short-term storage
of cotton, a significant number and variety of commercial cotton warehouses were built in the first
decades of the 20th century. The smallest warehouses appear like typical one-story brick commercial
buildings. These include the two easternmost buildings in the 200 block of Temple Street. The Masonic Lodge served the needs of the Masonic order on the second floor and utilized
the first floor as a cotton warehouse to take advantage of the lucrative storage business. ~ NRHP Nomination Form
"The North Villa Rica Commercial Historic District, centered on Temple Street in Villa Rica,
Carroll County, Georgia, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on December 31,
2002. The Villa Rica Downtown Development Authority sponsored the nomination and property
owners prepared the nomination materials.
"Although Villa Rica was settled by farmers and gold miners around 1830, the town’s
development did not coalesce until 1881 when the Georgia Pacific Railroad was laid. The next
year, the town plan was established as a series of blocks laid out in a gridiron pattern with the
railroad line running east to west through the center of the commercial district. The North Villa
Rica Commercial Historic District comprises the rail line, the plan of streets, and the four intact
blocks of commercial buildings north of the railroad.
"The blocks within the district consist of mostly attached one-story brick commercial buildings
constructed between 1900 and 1929. Typically, the buildings feature a center entrance flanked by
display windows. Many of the commercial buildings are plain with little decorative detail but
some, such as 141 Temple Street, include arched windows and transoms and corbelled brickwork
in the parapet. Villa Rica Lodge No. 72 is the only historic two-story commercial building in the
historic district.
"In addition to commercial buildings, the district contains several cotton warehouses. The Pope
Brothers Warehouse at 301-319 Temple Street is typical. It is a large, one-story brick warehouse
with pedestrian entrances and arched entrances for wagons. A brick addition that doubled the
size of the Pope warehouse was built in 1949." ~ The City of Villa Rica Historic Inventory Assessment, Phase 1