Harlem Cab Company and its neighbor, Harlem Barber Shop, was, along with Carter’s Grill, among the last remaining historic businesses in Albany’s Harlem neighborhood.
Harlem Cab Company, Albany
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Tag Archives: Georgia Commercial Architecture
Buford Street, Shellman
The Back Porch restaurant, pictured above, brings more people to Shellman these days than any place else, but the building has always been important to the community. To people of another generation, it was the Suwannee Store, an early grocery chain.
I had a nice visit with one of the Duke sisters, who own the restaurant. Their family has been serving up good food in Shellman for at least a generation and they are glad to see positive changes to the town.
Shellman Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Randolph Street, Shellman
Randolph Street is one of the two “side streets” in downtown Shellman that are characterized by angular buildings. I’m not sure why the buildings were built this way.
Shellman Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
West Ward Street, Shellman
West Ward Street runs along the railroad tracks, across from Railroad Street, and could be considered the commercial heart of Shellman today. The pharmacy, at right, was busy the whole time I was in town, a sure sign Shellman hasn’t rolled up the sidewalks just yet.
Shellman Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Cotton Warehouse, Shellman
Curry & Curry Cotton Warehouse is the current occupant of this historic storefront. The facade indicates it may have once housed stores or offices, as well.
Shellman Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Marble-Front Bank, 1900, Shellman
This was likely a bank. Most marble and granite clad buildings I’ve documented in Georgia have been banks.
Shellman Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Historic Storefront, 1890s, Sasser
Sasser Commercial Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Ballard’s Obelisk Flour Ghost Mural, Sasser
Ghost murals are barely readable signs, sometimes faded beyond recognition but still visible to the discriminating eye. They can be found in the smallest towns and biggest cities, and advertise everything from shoes and soda to table salt and flour, like this one on a commercial storefront in downtown Sasser. Many have been painted over. There are several of these Ballard’s Obelisk Flour murals surviving around Georgia; some are brighter than this one while others are nearly indistinguishable from the bricks on which they were painted. The brand must have been thriving in the early 1900s, when this mural was produced.
Sasser Commercial Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Inn Palace, 1948, Dawson
This unusual commercial structure has been identified in real estate records as the Inn Palace. Records also note that it sold beer and liquor. This could mean it was just a retailer or that it was a night spot or juke joint. The name leads me to believe the latter, and if that’s the case, it would likely have been a stop on the Chitlin’ Circuit.
The upstairs section is a bit of a mystery and could have been the owner’s living quarters or served another purpose, such as lodging.
Maloof’s, 1960s, Dawson
Aziz Daher Maloof (1892-1973) migrated from Lebanon to Georgia circa 1911 and moved to Dawson in 1914, where he established a thriving dry goods and department store. Maloof’s would remain Dawson’s most prominent retail store throughout much of the 20th century. His son Alfred Maloof (1915-1995) eventually took over the business. He moved operations to this location on Stonewall Street in the 1960s, where it remained until closing in 1989. A grocery store was located on the left side of the building.