Historic Cartersville: Spotlight on West End Historic District

As part of celebrating May as National Historic Preservation Month, city of Cartersville officials would like to recognize the residence of Mike and Heather Ellington at 501 West Avenue, which is part of the West End Historic District. The family recently received an award from Mayor Santini, City Council and the Historic Preservation Commission for their renovation work to improve the house. The residence, a Craftsman style house, was built in 1923.

The West End Historic District, adopted by City Council in 2006, includes properties along and adjacent to West Avenue from the intersection with Etowah Drive to Attaway Drive. The property on West Avenue in the district was once farmland, owned by John and Sally Leake, who came to Cass (now Bartow) County in the 1840s. Their property contained hundreds of acres and the road itself was once known as Rowland Mill Road for the family that operated a mill southeast of Euharlee. The name was later changed to Rowland Street. The Leake home was located in the general vicinity of the Kinsel/Lussier home at 602 West Avenue.

The West End Historic District contains many historic residential structures that reflect architectural styles found throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The architectural styles range from Craftsman, Colonial Revival, Folk Victorian, Neoclassical Revival, English Vernacular Revival, Gothic Revival to Prairie. The structures are a combination of exterior materials with varying roof styles appropriate to the house style and period. Several of the homes date from just after the Civil War. The West End Historic District area was a bedrock for residential development from the 1870s to the 1920s.

There are five locally designated Cartersville historic districts: Cherokee-Cassville; Downtown Business District; Granger Hill; Olde Town; and West End. Maps of the districts may be found on the Planning & Development page of the city's website and may be obtained at no cost from the Planning and Development office of City Hall, 2nd Floor, 10 N. Public Square.

City staff would like to remind property owners in a locally designated historic district about the changes to the outside of homes and buildings that require Historic Preservation Commission approval before starting a project. Maintenance or repair that does not involve a change in material does not require HPC approval. Changing the paint color and changes to the inside of a structure do not require HPC approval.

In the Downtown Business District, signs that meet Sign Ordinance requirements do not require HPC approval.

HPC approval is required before starting any of the following projects: replacing or relocating windows or doors with a change in material; new accessory buildings; demolition or relocation of a structure; excavation for construction purposes; and new fences that require a variance.

If you have any questions, contact City Planner Richard Osborne at rosborne@cityofcartersville.org or 770-387-5614.

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