Augusta Downtown Historic District
National Register Listing
Street Address:
Downtown Augusta roughly bounded by 13th Street, Gordon Highway, Walton Way, and the Savannah River (Richmond County, Georgia);Vicinity of North Augusta, SC (Aiken County)
Alternate Name:
Jefferson Davis Memorial Bridge (5th Street Bridge);Southern Railway Bridge (6th Street Bridge)
NRHP Nomination and Map
Record Number:
S10817702041
Description and Narrative:
The Augusta Downtown Historic District is primarily located in Augusta, Georgia, but also includes two bridges which span the Savannah River and cross into South Carolina. The Southern Railway Bridge, on 6th Street in Augusta, is a pin-connected Warren through truss bridge constructed in 1899. The bridge consists of six spans supported by stone masonry piers with a steel open-deck trestle approach. Five of the spans are Warren through trusses, one of which is a lift span, and one is a steel girder that supports the lift span when open. The second span from the south end of the bridge features the Scherzer Rolling Lift constructed in 1910-1911. The channel arm of the bridge if counterbalanced by a concrete counterweight carried on trusses. The second bridge is the Jefferson Davis Memorial Bridge, also known as the 5th Street Bridge. The bridge connects to Fifth Street Bridge Road on the South Carolina side. This bridge was completed in 1931 and is a concrete-and-steel plate-girder bridge built to hasten automobile travel to South Carolina and points north. Both bridges contribute to the Augusta Downtown Historic District, which encompasses the historic commercial district centered on Broad Street, industrial properties along the Savannah River and the railroad, and governmental, religious, and residential resources along Greene and Telfair Streets. Augusta is among the oldest and largest cities in Georgia and the historic district comprises the breadth of historic resources associated with downtown Augusta from the laying out of the city in 1736 through the construction of a modern skyscraper for the Georgia Railroad and Banking Company in 1967. Listed in the National Register June 11, 2004.
Level of Significance:
Local;State;National
Area of Significance:
Architecture;Landscape Architecture;Commerce;Politics/Government;Education;Transportation;Community Planning and Development
National Register Determination:
listed
Date of Certification:
June 11 2004
