Addresses: 1429, 1427, 1425 Broad Street
Owner: Individually, Privately owned
History and Significance: Threatened by the construction of the new St. Sebastian Way Extension, these three historic two-story houses were built c. 1900. Currently vacant and open to the elements, these homes were built by the J. B. White company to serve as residences for the employees of the department store. An article in the Augusta Chronicle dated February 2, 1919, describes twenty houses along Broad Street and twenty houses along Jones Street that were all constructed at the same time in an “unimproved stretch of lots”. The article announced the intended sale of the “J. B. White Houses” to the tenants of the “J. B. White block” in which they reside. The article states that there were three different classes of houses, each with a different purchase price. An offer was to be made by the tenant to the J. B. White Estate through the Alexander-Goodwin & Garrett Agency no later than March 10th, 1919, or it would be concluded that the tenant did not desire to purchase the house. The twenty additional tenement houses on Jones Street were occupied by African American tenants and were not to be sold until the tenants in the Broad Street houses had stated their interest to purchase or decline. Interestingly, a classified notice dated June 9, 1919, advertised a “last chance” for the general public to buy one of the J. B. White Houses on Upper Broad Street for $4,000-$4,500. 1429 Broad Street, built as a duplex, is the largest of the three homes and many of the original exterior features including intricate decorate designs in the front façade gables and brackets under the shed roof are intact. The windows, although with a few missing panes, also appear to be original. 1427 Broad Street , built as a single family residence, is heavily overgrown with vines on the first floor. 1425 Broad Street sits on the corner of Broad Street and the new St. Sebastian Way Extension and was originally built as a duplex and appears to be in the best condition of the three historic houses. Of the twenty houses that were built at the turn of the twentieth century, these three historic properties are an excellent example of the residential architectural styles found along the Broad Street corridor.
Threat: Construction of St. Sebastian Way and other future road expansion, condition of the exterior walls and historic windows
Potential Uses: Single and multiple family residences, commercial space such as retail or offices
Preservation Tools: (1) These properties are not currently listed as contributing resources to the Augusta Downtown National Register Historic District but have been determined eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Programs available to properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places include limited grant funds for certified rehabilitation and also the federal and state tax incentive programs; (2) these properties are also eligible for listing in the Downtown Augusta Local Historic District which is overseen by the Augusta Richmond County Historic Preservation Commission. Listing in the local historic district offers additional protection from threats of demolition or insensitive exterior alterations.