1638 Fourth Avenue (House), Columbus

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS GA,108-COLM,40-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Fourth Avenue is a c. Shotgun type house. This residential building is significant for its architecture as a representative example of the Shotgun house type. Description: Fourth Avenue is an early-twentieth century Shotgun type house. It is of frame construction with clapboard siding, and rests on a concrete block pier foundation. It also possesses a front-gabled roof with gable returns and an integral full-width entry porch supported by square posts. History: Fourth Avenue was constructed c. and originally was a part of an early-twentieth century residential area known as North Commons. It is believed that the original owner of Fourth Avenue was Mr.

Phipps, who acquired the property on which two residences were to be constructed in The property included a lot in North Commons that measured by According to Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of the area, the two residences were constructed sometime between and In Mr. Phipps' heirs sold both residences and the associated lot to Ms. Eva Moore Palmer. Ms. Palmer retained ownership of this property until her death in Upon her death, the property was sold to Mr. Raymond Wright, who in turn, sold it to Ms. Annie Jones Johnson and Elizabeth Johnson in The Johnson Family continues to retain ownership of both residences and the associated lot. North Commons was located north of the downtown area in Columbus, and originally was comprised of several blocks of small single-family frame residences.

Given the proximity to the Central of Georgia Railroad, a few industrial establishments also historically were a part of the North Commons area. However, only one of these businesses, Saul's Ice Company, predated the construction of Fourth Avenue, and there is no evidence that this business contributed to or was the impetus for the development of the residential area in which Fourth Avenue was constructed. Fourth Avenue (House) HABS No. GA-~_(Page 2) -., A review of the available c.ity directories of Columbus, Georgia, from through demonstrate that the North Commons area was historically a predominantly African-American residential neighborhood.

The and Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of Columbus, Georgia also show the presence of a "Negro" church, known as the Metropolitan Baptist Church, located on Third Avenue between Sixteenth and Seventeenth Streets. While the style and pattern of housing in the North Commons area resembles that typically associated with mill development, the Sanborn Maps did not show the presence of any mills or other large industrial establishments near this neighborhood that predated the residential development. Furthermore, a sampling of occupations of some of the residents of North Commons, as listed in the city directories from through the early twentieth century, show that these residents had a variety of occupations, which included cooks, gardeners and laborers.

Since the North Commons neighborhood was sited in close proximity to some of the city's larger homes, it is postulated that many of the residents of North Commons worked for their wealthier neighbors. Today much of the area historically known as North Commons is characterized by late-twentieth century commercial development and vacant lots. Fourth Avenue is one of the few remaining single family vernacular houses that represent the original pattern of residential development in tnis area.

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS GA,108-COLM,40-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Deed Book 107 Page Deed Book 111 Page Deed Book 617 Page Deed Book 626 Page Deed Book 800 Page Deed Book Page 70, Deed Book Page 10, Plat Book 18 Page Muscogee County Courthouse, Columbus, Georgia. Sanborn Fire Insurance Map of Columbus, Georgia, (Pelham, New York: Sanborn Map Company), page 38. Sanborn Fire Insurance Map of Columbus, Georgia, (Pelham, New York: Sanborn Map Company), Volume 1, pages Columbus, Georgia City Directory, (Charleston, South Carolina: William H. Walsh Directory Company), p. 87. Columbus, Georgia City Directory, (Charleston, South Carolina: William H. Walsh Directory Company), p. 128 and Polk's Columbus (Muscogee County, Georgia) City Directory, (Birmingham, Alabama: Polk and Company), p. 502 and Fourth Avenue (House) HABS No. GA-2244-'(Page 3) ~- ~ ' _j .

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS GA,108-COLM,40-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

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