The Decatur Downtown Historic District has finally earned a distinction befitting its age.

The area was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in late May.

“Decatur’s [recognition] officially documents the historic architecture and historical significance of the downtown commercial area in the development of the city and its importance to the development of DeKalb County from 1823 to 1967,” said Gretchen Brock, National Register and Survey program manager.

That district is roughly bordered by North McDonough Street on the west, East Howard Avenue on the south, Hillyer and Commerce streets on the east, and East Ponce de Leon Avenue on the north.

A few individually significant buildings were already listed on the National Register, but creating the district is a great opportunity to see additional historic preservation in the downtown area, said DeKalb History Center Executive Director Melissa Forgey.

“It’s because there are some financial incentives linked to National Register status,” Forgey said.

These incentives include a federal tax credit exclusively available for income producing properties.

Potential applicants are advised to become acquainted with the guidelines currently in place.

“The rehabilitation must be substantial, which means the cost is greater than the adjusted base value of the building and your work must be approved by the National Park Service before you start,” Forgey said.

Georgia has a pair of tax programs for historic homes and income producing properties, including the preferential property tax assessment and the state income tax credit program.

The National Register of Historic Places is the country’s official list of historic buildings, structures, sites, objects and districts deemed to be worthy of preservation.

DeKalb County currently has 47 National Register listings, including a number of houses, cemeteries, commercial and community landmark buildings and university campuses, as well as a number of historic districts.

The McDonough-Adams-Kings Highway Historic District is currently a pending National Register nomination. The Northwoods community in Doraville recently submitted a proposed nomination to our office and we will be working with them to complete the nomination process, Brock said.