Tag Archives: Architecture of J. W. Golucke

Pickens County Jail, 1907, Jasper

Typical of many Georgia jails, the Pickens County facility housed inmates upstairs and a sheriff or jailer downstairs. Georgia’s best-known courthouse architect, J. W. Golucke, designed this jail to be special, incorporating local marble in the citadel-like design. A local stone mason, Lee W. Prather, was responsible for the ornate work on the front of the jail. The marble was sourced at the nearby Delaware Quarry, the oldest in the state. It’s among the most impressive in the state, in my opinion. It served the county until circa 1980 when a larger, more modern facility was built.

I believe it is used as a museum today.

National Register of Historic Places

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Henry County Courthouse, 1897, McDonough

Golucke & Stewart designed this courthouse in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, which they also employed in the plans of the Schley, Union, and Madison county courthouses. Though its appearance has been altered by expansions over the years, it remains a focal point of downtown McDonough.

National Register of Historic Places

Clayton County Courthouse, 1899, Jonesboro

The third Clayton County Courthouse served the community for a century. Designed by the firm of Golucke & Stewart, it was replaced by a modern facility in 1999.

Jonesboro Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Rockdale County Jail, 1897, Conyers

This jail was built in 1897 to replace the first jail in Rockdale County and served the county until 1968. It was designed by Georgia’s most prolific courthouse architect, J. W. Golucke, while he was in partnership with G. W. Stewart. The interior was outfitted by the Pauly Jail Building and Manufacturing Company of St. Louis. F. P. Heifner was the contractor.

The old jail was restored by the Rockdale County Historical Society in 1975 and serves as their headquarters and a museum today.

National Register of Historic Places

Bartow County Courthouse, 1902, Cartersville

This courthouse replaced an 1869 courthouse [still standing] and was designed by Georgia’s most prolific courthouse architect, J. W. Golucke.

National Register of Historic Places

Old Dodge County Jail, 1897, Eastman

Old Dodge County Jail Eastman GA Photograph Copyright Brian Brown Vanishing South Georgia USA 2015

Designed by the great courthouse architect J. W. Golucke (Golucke & Stewart), Dodge County’s historic jail was built by the Pauly Jail Building Company, which is still in business today. It originally featured a three-story tower in the center, but that was removed during a roof renovation. It closed in 1973 upon the completion of a more modern facility.

Old Dodge County Jail Eastman GA Window Detail Photograph Copyright Brian Brown Vanishing South Georgia USA 2015

The detailed metal window arch inserts are quite decorative for a jail. As evident in this photograph, serious structural damage is an immediate threat.

Old Dodge County Jail Eastman GA Golucke Stewart Pauly Jail Building Company Photograph Copyright Brian Brown Vanishing South Georgia USA 2015

A hanging room with trap door and lever are still intact, but leaks and continued neglect will need to addressed soon to stabilize the structure. Hopefully, Dodge County will utilize the jail in the future for a cultural resource center or something of that nature. Since its inclusion on the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation’s 2010 Places in Peril listing, little, if any, restoration has been done.

National Register of Historic Places

 

Union County Courthouse, 1899, Blairsville

Designed by Golucke & Stewart, this Romanesque courthouse served Union County until it was condemned in 1971. Temporary facilities were used until a replacement was built in 1976. Since restoration, it has served as home of the Union County Historical Society.

National Register of Historic Places

Madison County Courthouse, 1901, Danielsville

National Register of Historic Places

Fitzpatrick Hotel, 1898, Washington

After Washington’s Great Fire of 11 June 1895, which devastated much of the business center of the city, brothers John and Thomas Fitzpatrick returned to their hometown from Lancaster, South Carolina, where they had operated a thriving dry goods business. They soon began building this hotel on property their family had owned since 1843. Golucke & Stewart were the architects.(J. W. Golucke was the most prolific architect of governments in Georgia history). The brothers used the lobby to display dry goods and groceries in promotion of their more lucrative enterprise . In 1899, the business was grossing $100,000 annually. The first telephone system in Washington was installed here and preceded the Fitzpatrick’s ownership of the county’s first telephone company. John died in 1907 and Thomas in 1911. After the their deaths, the hotel would later be known as the Columbus Inn and the Washington Hotel and was finally closed in 1952. After many years of neglect, it was restored and reopened by Jim Carter and Mike & Christy Todd.

National Register of Historic Places

 

Putnam County Courthouse, 1906, Eatonton

Situated on one of the largest town squares in Georgia, Putnam County’s Neoclassical Revival courthouse was designed by J. W. Golucke.

Eatonton Historic District, National Register of Historic Places