230 Nacoochee Ave

Constructed circa 1910, no later than 1912, 230 Nachoochee Avenue stands as an outstanding example of a house that, while being updated, has preserved its core historical elements. The home was built in the Folk Victorian style, particularly the Gabled Ell subtype, which is most frequently found in the South. 

While the house does retain original elements, most notably an original decorative fireplace in one bedroom, it is most notable for the preservation of its historic elements through many renovations and additions. These include the addition of a studio space to the property in 1980, an unspecified renovation before 2009, and the repainting of the exterior in 2009. In May 2025, J.D. and Amy Gutermuth, in collaboration with J.D.'s architecture firm Basic-Workshop, received an award for a 531-square-foot addition made to the rear of the house, which is distinctly different from the historic structure while also being appropriately subordinate and minimally disruptive of the house's appearance from the public right-of-way.  

The earliest recorded residents of 230 Nachoochee were Edward Clarke and the married couple James and Mary Clarke in 1912. Both James and Edward Clarke worked at the Southern Manufacturing Company, one of several prominent mills in Athens at the time. Until at least 1958, 230 Nachoochee served as the home of various types of households at different points, with families and several individual renters occupying the house throughout these decades. Similar to much of the Boulevard neighborhood in this era, these residents were primarily members of the working and middle classes, working as mill workers, seamstresses, electricians, and mechanics. 

Contrary to common conceptions of this period, both male and female residents in this period worked outside the home, as was more common in working and middle class neighborhoods. A later prominent resident, Jessica Benjamin, the owner of 230 Nachoochee from 2004 to 2009, served as the Chief Assistant Public Defender for the Western Judicial Circuit for 17 years and was just appointed as an associate judge for the Magistrate Court of Athens Clarke County in July of 2025. The shifting residents of 230 Nachoochee over its approximately 115 years of existence reflect the change in the Boulevard neighborhood itself, as a once-working- and middle-class area has transitioned to a wealthier resident base.