Octagon House
House listed as US National Landmark in Columbus, Georgia. Added to the National Register in 1969, and a National Historic Landmark.
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What it is
The Octagon House, also known as May's Folly, is a historic octagon house at 527 1st Avenue in Columbus, Georgia. Built about 1830 and enlarged in 1863, it is claimed by the local historical society to be the nation's only known example of a double-octagon house. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1973.
Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The record
| Property type | Building |
| Address | 527 1st Ave., Columbus, GA |
| County | Muscogee County |
| Listed | Jul 29, 1969 |
| Listed for | Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| Also known as | May's Folly |
| Reference number | 69000049 |
| Type of place | single-family detached home |
| Contributing resources | 1 building |
The nomination form, the document that argues why this place matters, is in the National Archives: Read the nomination ↗
Visiting
| Address | 527 1st Ave., Columbus, GA |
| Coordinates | 32.4560° N, 84.9935° W · Directions ↗ |
| Also in Columbus | 138 listed places in Columbus → · walking tours → |
| Nearest national park unit | Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site · 40 miles · on Park Atlas |
| Federal campgrounds nearby | Bluff Creek 19 miles · R Shaefer Heard Day Use 33 miles · Eagleview Park 34 miles |
Explore
Map
Nearby in Muscogee County
Local history books for Columbus
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Georgia travel guides
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
When was Octagon House listed on the National Register?
Jul 29, 1969. It is also a National Historic Landmark, the higher of the two designations.
Source: National Park Service
Can I visit Octagon House?
No public access is recorded. A National Register listing recognizes a place; it does not open it to visitors.
Source: National Park Service
Where is Octagon House?
527 1st Ave., Columbus, Muscogee County, Georgia. The nearest national park unit is Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site, 40 miles away.
Where is the nomination form for Octagon House?
The National Archives holds the nomination form, the document that made the case for listing.
Source: National Archives
Are there campgrounds near Octagon House?
Three federal campgrounds are within reach. The closest is Bluff Creek, 19 miles away. R Shaefer Heard Day Use is 33 miles away, and Eagleview Park is 34 miles away.
Source: Campsite Atlas
Is there cell service at Octagon House?
FCC coverage maps show Verizon 5G, AT&T 5G, and T-Mobile 5G at the listed point. Coverage indoors and behind old masonry is another matter.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
Sources
Location, type and contributing counts come from the National Park Service's National Register spatial data. Listing dates come from the National Register office's spreadsheet where it carries the listing. Construction date, architect, style, photograph and encyclopedia link come from Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons, matched on reference number 69000049. Nothing here is transcribed by hand. The nomination form and photographs ↗ at NPGallery are the original nomination as filed with the National Park Service, and the form is often the best description of the place. The description under "What it is" is the opening of the Wikipedia article, CC BY-SA.