Category Archives: National Register of Historic Places

The Ouerbacker-Clement House of Louisville, Kentucky

The Ouerbacker-Clement House, located at 1633 West Jefferson Street in Louisville’s Russell neighborhood, is a historic mansion built in 1860 in the Richardsonian-Romanesque style. Originally owned by George Moore and later by steamboat captain Alexander Gilmore, the home was expanded in the 1890s by renowned architects Arthur Loomis and Charles Clarke.

Over the years, it housed local figures such as Samuel Ouerbacker, a coffee merchant, and Reverend George Clement and his son Rufus Clement, who later became the president of Atlanta University, now known as Clark Atlanta University.

Eventually the mansion served as a tax service office for 70 years until the city seized the property for unpaid taxes. The property languished until the city sold it for $1 in 2014. The company that purchased it restored and converted into six apartments.

Omega Psi Phi House in Louisville, Kentucky

The Italianate located on Chestnut Street is also known as the Doerhoefer-Hampton House. It was built in 1887 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The local chapter of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity purchased the home in 2019 and restored it. It now serves as their local headquarters and meeting space.

This image is from the 1979 nomination to the National Register of Historic Places.
This image is from the 1979 nomination to the National Register of Historic Places.

The Houses of Mechanic’s Row in Maysville, Kentucky

In 1816, local developer and industrialist John Armstrong constructed the homes known as Mechanic’s Row, which are now celebrated as some of Kentucky’s finest examples of New Orleans-inspired architecture. The name “Mechanic’s Row” reflects the trades of the early residents, skilled craftsmen and merchants, who once lived there.

The Blair Building in Decatur, Georgia

The Blair Building is an Art Moderne office building located in Decatur, Georgia. Built in 1939 by the Farnell Blair Company, the company used the second floor for its offices.

In 1946, Guy Rutland Sr. purchased the building to use as the headquarters for his trucking company, real estate business, and farm operations. Rutland served in the state legislature from 1953 to 1964. The building stayed in the Rutland family until 1994.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings in 2002.

Zion Baptist Church of Marietta, Georgia

On April 8, 1866, Zion Baptist Church in Marietta, Georgia, was established by 88 formerly enslaved individuals who left First Baptist Church to form their own congregation. Rev. Ephraem B. Rucker, Zion’s first pastor, laid the foundation with deacons and Sunday School. Growth continued, and it was determined that the church would build its first physical home in 1888 at the corner of Haynes & Lemon Streets.

Eventually, the church built a much larger building across the street to house its much larger congregation. The church is still active today.

The original building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

Charles Duckett House of Laurens, South Carolina

Charles Duckett (1860-1947) was a prominent businessman in Laurens, South Carolina. He owned multiple businesses, most notable were a funeral home and lumberyard. He was considered one of the most successful Black lumberyard owners in the South. This Eastlake style home is in need of some serious love, though. It was hard to photograph, but a tree has fallen on the left side of the house. There was a fundraiser listed in 2020, but I couldn’t find any other info on future plans.

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