Carbo House Listed in the National Register of Historic Places

The Carbo House, located on Tybrisa Street, on Tybee Island, Chatham County, Georgia, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on May 21, 2010. The Carbo House was built in 1932 as part of a rebuilding campaign following a devastating 1931 fire that destroyed 25 buildings in the boarding house area. J.D. and Nan Carbo of Waycross built their first, smaller rooming house on Tybee circa 1920 on Izlar Avenue.

After the 1931 fire, the Carbos purchased additional property and built this larger, 16-room boarding house facing 16th Street. By 1935 the Carbos had expanded their business by adding a restaurant, called Carbo’s Grill, and a patio area with a soda and sandwich stand between the boarding house and the restaurant. After Nan’s death in 1937 and J.D.’s death in 1938, the Carbo House continued to be operated by family members until 1972. The building remains in use as a rental property.

The Carbo House was listed at the state level of significance as an excellent and intact example of a coastal resort boarding house that retains its original materials and floor plan, and represents Tybee’s boarding house district located between 16th and 18th streets. The district featured an assortment of boarding houses and rental cottages that were available for rent by the week, month, or season. The building is one of the few historic boarding houses left on Tybee Island. In the first decades of the 20th century, Tybee Island, also known as Savannah Beach, developed as a coastal resort for residents of nearby Savannah. The opening of the Tybee Road in 1923, a causeway that linked the island with Savannah, fueled the demand for small inns, rooming houses, and apartments for middle-class vacationers.

The building is rectangular in shape with a low-pitched, hip roof and wide-overhanging eaves. The two-story, wraparound porch with a balustrade and chamfered wood posts extends along all sides of the building. Wood exterior staircases located on each side of the building provide access to the second-story rooms. The first and second floors are identical with original, five-panel, wood doors leading to each of the 16 rooms and four-over-one sash windows. The building retains its original floor plan with four equal-size rooms facing Tybrisa Street and four facing the rear of the property on each floor. Ten of the 16 rooms retain the original beadboard walls and ceilings, hardwood floors, door and window surrounds, and moldings.

The National Register of Historic Places is our country’s official list of historic buildings, structures, sites, objects, and districts worthy of preservation. The National Register provides formal recognition of a property’s architectural, historical or archaeological significance. It also identifies historic properties for planning purposes and insures that these properties will be considered in the planning of state or federally assisted projects. National Register listing encourages preservation of historic properties through public awareness, federal and state tax incentives, and grants. Listing in the National Register does not place obligations or restrictions on the use, treatment, transfer, or disposition of private property.

The Historic Preservation Division (HPD) of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources serves as Georgia’s state historic preservation office. Its mission is to promote the preservation and use of historic places for a better Georgia. HPD’s programs include archaeology protection and education, environmental review, grants, historic resource surveys, tax incentives, the National Register of Historic Places, community planning and technical assistance.

The mission of the Department of Natural Resources is to sustain, enhance, protect and conserve Georgia’s natural, historic and cultural resources for present and future generations, while recognizing the importance of promoting the development of commerce and industry that utilize sound environmental practices.

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