Amy forwards along this press release from Georgia’s State Preservation Office announcing that Decatur’s downtown has been accepted onto the National Register of Historic Places.  The districts borders are “roughly bordered by N. McDonough Street on the west, East Howard Avenue on the south, Hillyer and Commerce streets on the east, and East Ponce de Leon Avenue on the north.”

The rest of the release provides a short synopsis of downtown Decatur’s historical significance…

The Decatur Downtown Historic District was listed in the National Register at the local level of significance because the commercial and residential buildings are representative of architectural styles and types built in Georgia cities from the end of the 19th century through the middle of the 20th century. Decatur has many good intact examples of commercial architecture that date from its period of greatest growth during the late 19th century into the 1960s. Many prominent Atlanta area architects designed buildings in Decatur including Bodin & Lamberson, Bothwell & Nash, Walker & Chase, Frances Daves, Edwards & Sayward, Pope Fuller, Ivey & Crook, Edmund Lind, Gottfried Norrman, and Pringle & Smith. Some of these architectural firms designed several buildings in Decatur.

Downtown Decatur retained its importance as a regional center of commerce from the late 19th to the middle of the 20th century. Typically the county seat filled this role, and provided for the day-to-day commercial needs of nearby residents, such as retail stores and offices and professional services. The district is significant for its development as a crossroads community with a railroad. The major road orientation, street grid pattern, and railroad line remain intact from the historic period. As the county seat, Decatur is also significant for the presence of buildings directly related to activities and events associated with government, such as the county courthouses and city hall.

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Long a favorite spot for skaters in downtown Decatur, this bench area in front of the Decatur Medical Plaza (think: Nanston Dental sign) has some newly installed anti-skating devices (?) screwed into the marble, according to this photo taken by Daren.

Asst. Decatur City Manager Lyn Menne writes in the the April Decatur Focus…

During the strategic planning meetings, we heard a number of suggestions about creating a downtown shuttle service. We are exploring options for pursuing this suggestion in the downtown business district with a possible link to the Oakhurst business district. We know the success of a shuttle depends on short wait times, reliability and proper coverage area so we may need to start with a smaller targeted area and then expand. Initially we are considering small, expanded passenger-size electric golf cart vehicles as a cost-effective option. We would love to hear your ideas about days and hours of service and activity centers that should be served first.

Would you be willing to pay a nominal fee to use a shuttle service or should it be free? We plan to post a survey covering these questions on Open City Hall on the city’s website. However, we’d love to hear from you as we continue to look at ways to move forward with this suggestion. You can send your thoughts to lyn.menne@decaturga.com.

Check this out.  From Appendix A of the 2010 Decatur Strategic Plan…

As the note on the map says, this graphic is for illustrative purposes only.  But it does give you an idea of remaining redevelopment potential in downtown Decatur.  I’m especially intrigued by the Fairview extension, “linear park” and redeveloped Gateway Apartments next to the Post Office (lower left-hand corner of the map).  Not to mention all the potential along Commerce.  Though we already sorta new about that.

There are conceptual plans like this for all of Decatur’s business districts in the Appendix, including Oakhurst, East Lake Station and East Decatur Station.

Mary sends along this snapshot…