Since the community’s founding in the 1830s, Kennesaw, originally known as Big Shanty, has changed from a rough town in Georgia’s frontier to a modern suburb of Atlanta. As the city has grown and developed, so too has the city’s architecture.
The earliest structures built in Big Shanty were likely related to the Western and Atlantic Railroad, which was under construction in this area in the 1830s and 1840s. In fact, it was the workers’ houses that lent their name to the community. One shanty, at the corner of Main Street and Moon Station, survived into the 21st century.
The earliest surviving illustration of Big Shanty, dating back to the Civil War, depicts a large depot alongside a few wooden structures. There is one drawing at the Library of Congress by illustrator Alfred Waud labeled “Big Shanty.” This illustration may show the Big Shanty Eating House, often referred to as the Lacy Hotel. The building was constructed with scrap wood from the railroad in 1859 and served as an important railroad stop. It was two stories tall with a large front porch to greet guests and several outbuildings. It was easily the largest building in the community. The Union Army burned the Lacy Hotel and the rest of Big Shanty in 1864.
Following the Civil War, the community was rebuilt. The initial structures were likely somewhat crude. The depot built just after the war was a small, wooden building with a chimney that appears to be significantly smaller than its predecessor. The new Big Shanty Eating House was also two stories, but with a much larger front porch.
Big Shanty was officially incorporated as Kennesaw in 1887, when brick became prevalent downtown. In the 1880s, J.W. Hill constructed a one-story brick store building on Main Street. Though it is currently vacant, it was the longtime home of Eaton Chiropractic. A three-story brick building was built at the corner of Main and Lewis in 1903, and gradually older wooden stores began to be replaced by brick structures. By the 1910s, the whole area from J.W. Hill’s building to Lewis Street was a continuous row of brick storefronts. However, the buildings in the middle section, today’s J. O. Stephenson Avenue, were demolished in the 1950s.
House design also transformed as Kennesaw grew. The earliest homes were typically railroad shanties or small farmhouses, but by the 1880s, they had become larger and more elaborate. Some were just two rooms with a central hallway, while others had four rooms. Eventually, it became fashionable for gables to be featured on the fronts of houses, and local builders shifted away from simple rectangular floor plans.
While today the lines between houses and businesses are a bit more well-defined, at the turn of the century, there was some variation. For instance, the two-story Pritchard House on Lewis Street was a boarding house and blacksmith shop, and Dr. John W. Ellis’ house on Main Street was both a home and a doctor’s office.
A significant departure from the Victorian styles of the 19th and early 20th centuries came with the Bungalow, characterized by its much lower roofs and Craftsman style. Cottontail Quilts on Lewis Street remains a notable example, as is Anita’s Hair Cottage on Summers Street.
Though much of Kennesaw’s development shifted closer to Cobb Parkway in the 1950s, downtown remained a place of architectural change. The ranch-style homes on Big Shanty Drive are very different from the wooden homes closer to Main Street. The commercial buildings downtown became recessed away from the road. Dr. Hester’s dental office, a former post office, and the old library next door were built in the 1960s and are markedly different from their Main Street predecessors.
While many historic homes, particularly near Summers Street, have been converted into commercial spaces, recent developments have brought more residential space downtown. As Kennesaw grows, there has been a renewed focus on honoring the older buildings in the area. This takes many forms: the brick façade of Revival on Main is intended to evoke the historic brick buildings downtown, while the Park on Main development draws inspiration from the nearby wooden houses.
From rough-hewn shacks to modern apartments, Kennesaw has constantly been changing. Downtown’s historic architecture reveals how the city has grown and evolved from its humble beginnings into a vibrant community.
https://www.kennesaw-ga.gov/