Main Street Historic District (Tuskegee, Alabama)

The Main Street Historic District comprises the commercial and governmental core of Tuskegee, Alabama. The historic district includes more than one hundred contributing structures along a ten-block by three-block stretch of North and South Main Street.

Main Street Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Macon County Courthouse from Tuskegee Square
Location	Main St., Tuskegee, Alabama
Coordinates	32°25′26.36″N 85°41′27.03″W
Area	70 acres (28 ha)
Architectural style	Greek Revival, Tudor Revival, Bungalow
NRHP reference No.	84000650[1]
Added to NRHP	March 12, 1984

Description

The district is roughly centered on the Macon County Courthouse and Tuskegee Square. The square was the location of the first three county courthouses. The current courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places on its own, and as a contributing feature to the historic district. It is sited on the northeast side of the square. The district contains a mix of governmental, commercial, ecclesiastical, and residential buildings. Commercial and government buildings range from the late 19th century and early 20th century. About a quarter of residential structures date to the early 19th century, and about half from the late 19th century. A number of these building express Greek Revival and Romanesque Revival features. The district includes 131 contributing structures, and about 30 non-contributing structures.^[2][3]

Tuskegee Square is centered on the Tuskegee Confederate Monument,^[3] which has been a focus of civil rights demonstrations since 1966.^[4]

A commercial building on the square at 101 Westside Street was built with help from students from the Tuskegee Institute, and was used for classes taught by Olivia A. Davidson, second wife of Booker T. Washington, while she assisted Washington in the establishment of the institute.^[3]

The Main Street Historic District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 12, 1984.^[1]

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
2. "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Main Street Historic District". National Park Service. Retrieved September 14, 2021. With accompanying pictures
3. Martins, Ellen (December 7, 1983). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form: Main Street Historic District". National Park Service. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
4. Cox, Karen L. (April 12, 2021). "Black Protesters Have Been Rallying Against Confederate Statues for Generations". smithsonian.com. Retrieved September 14, 2021.