This house is a bit difficult to identify as to one style or another. The high-pitched gables are reminiscent of the Gothic Revival but the overall massing of the house doesn’t really fit into that style. I had a nice talk with the owner, who noted the house had been enlarged earlier in its history.
This house is located beside First Baptist Church on North Broad Street. It’s a hybrid of the Prairie Style [popular between circa 1900-1920 and popularized by Frank Lloyd Wright] and American Foursquare, known as “Prairie Box”.
A good example of the pervasiveness of the Victorian aesthetic well beyond the era itself, this is one of the nicest historic homes remaining on North Broad Street and has been renovated in recent years.
The old post office in Cairo was built during the New Deal and has the characteristic architecture of the era. While some post offices of the time were built in the Neoclassical Revival style, this one is Stripped Classical, meaning, essentially, a “flatter” interpretation of Neoclassical.
An Art Deco patriotic shield is located above the entryway.
A mural by Paul L. Gill, entitled “Products of Grady County” was originally located in the post office but is now in the Grady County History Museum, just down the street.
Cairo Commercial Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
This is one of several commercial “blocks” located on South Broad Street. It was once home to Mobley Furniture and Appliances.
Cairo Commercial Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Bill and Evelyn Lett Bishop established Bishop’s Jewelry in 1948, and operated for 51 years. They sold it to their nephew, Mark Bishop, in 1999, and it remains one of the anchors of the downtown historic district. Most small towns had a jewelry store like this when I was growing up.
Cairo Commercial Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
The Citizens Bank is one of the finest structures in the downtown historic district, defined by its narrow Neoclassical Revival facade. Many banks of the early 20th century embraced this style. Most examples are clad in marble or limestone. I believe this one is limestone.
Cairo Commercial Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Two historic freight warehouses survive along the tracks in Cairo. As a shipping point for syrup, they were quite busy, especially during the 1930s, when the town gained attention as the nation’s leading cane syrup producer.
Cairo Commercial Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
The heart of Cairo’s commercial historic district is situated along South Broad Street and is largely intact.
The plaza parks make it a very pedestrian friendly area. A nice variety of commercial styles from the late-19th and early- to mid-20th century are present.
Most of these historic storefronts are still in use, and while few serve their original purposes, they continue to be the center of the community.
Cairo Commercial Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Vanishing Georgia: Photographs by Brian Brown 