About the Cobbham Historic District Athens, GA

John Addison Cobb laid out 80 lots on his land in 1834 for a speculative development characterized as a "town in the woods." In the antebellum period, wealthy Athenians built suburban villas on its expansive lots, but, by the time of the Civil War, lots became smaller, prompting many cottage-type homes. In addition to houses, several important institutional buildings were erected in the neighborhood, most especially academies to serve the children of Athens's gentry, many of whom lived in Cobbham. The earliest was the Lucy Cobb Institute, a female academy founded in 1858. Another was the Athens Academy on Meigs Street, founded in 1886. After World War II, Cobbham underwent a transition, with many houses being purchased by speculators who subdivided the large homes into student apartments. Institutional intrusions on both ends of Cobbham caused the demolition of several homes and threatened others. History professor and preservation activist Phinizy Spalding was instrumental in a grassroots effort to protect Cobbham, ultimately achieved through its designation as a local historic district. Today Cobbham enjoys its place as one of the premier historic neighborhoods in Athens, and it contains some of the finest examples of Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, and Second Empire architecture in the Classic City.