Community Highlights
A quick view of downtown Franklin homes.
What counts as downtown Franklin?
There’s no single official line for “downtown” on a listing. Most people mean the blocks around the Public Square and Main Street. The closest thing to an official boundary is the city’s Downtown Franklin Historic District, which takes in the public square and courthouse and Franklin’s oldest residential and commercial buildings, most built in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Listings that say “downtown” can also mean the streets just outside that district. The Margin District condos going up at 805 Columbia Ave, a block south of Five Points, sit just outside the Historic Preservation Overlay, for example. Here’s what’s being built at the Margin District.
To see which side of the line a house is on, look it up on the city’s Historic Resources Map, which shows Franklin’s local and national historic districts.
What kinds of homes are in downtown Franklin?
Downtown Franklin’s houses span about 175 years of building styles. The city’s design guidelines list the styles found in Franklin’s historic districts and the years each was built, as of October 2026:
| Style | Built about |
|---|---|
| Federal | 1800 to 1840 |
| Greek Revival | 1830 to 1870 |
| Italianate | 1840 to 1885 |
| Gothic Revival | 1840 to 1885 |
| Queen Anne | 1880 to 1905 |
| Tudor Revival | 1890 to 1940 |
| Colonial Revival | 1895 to 1930 |
| Bungalow (Craftsman) | 1910 to 1940 |
| Minimal Traditional | 1935 to 1950 |
| Ranch | 1935 to 1975 |
Some downtown houses mix more than one. The guidelines note that early homes in the Downtown district were often built in the Federal style and picked up Greek Revival, Italianate and Victorian changes as later owners added on. New houses get built here too. Under the guidelines, a new building in a historic district should reflect that district’s key characteristics and stay secondary in prominence to the historic buildings around it.
What are Franklin’s historic districts?
Franklin has seven local historic districts and five National Register historic districts. Several names appear on both lists, but only the local districts come with design review.
| Local historic district | What the city’s guidelines say about it | Also on the National Register? |
|---|---|---|
| Downtown Franklin | Franklin’s oldest residential and commercial buildings, including the public square and courthouse, mostly 19th and early 20th century | Yes, listed 1973 |
| Hincheyville | Franklin’s first residential neighborhood, named for merchant Hinchey Petway, with houses from about 1828 to the mid-20th century | Yes, listed 1982 |
| Lewisburg Avenue | Late 19th and early 20th century houses next to the original town boundaries, with little new building since 1935 | Yes, listed 1987 |
| Adams Street | Mostly one-story frame houses along Adams and Stewart Streets, built about 1890 to 1960, plus 1920s and 1930s bungalows | Yes, listed 2000 |
| Boyd Mill Avenue | Colonial Revival, Folk Victorian and bungalow houses from the early to mid 20th century, plus Magnolia Hall, an 1840 Italianate house | No |
| Everbright Avenue | Five parcels of 1920s Craftsman houses that were once part of the Battle Ground Academy campus | No |
| Franklin Road | Historic properties on the north bank of the Harpeth River, including Harlinsdale Farm, plus the Myles Manor subdivision, running just under two miles north of downtown | No |
The fifth National Register district, Natchez Street (listed 2004), isn’t one of the seven local districts.
Per the city’s guidelines, listing in the National Register doesn’t put restrictions on how a private owner uses, treats or sells the property. The local districts are adopted by ordinance by Franklin’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen, and they’re where the design guidelines are legally enforced.
What is Franklin’s Historic Preservation Overlay?
Franklin’s Historic Preservation Overlay (HPO) is the zoning overlay that covers the seven local historic districts and the city’s local landmarks, such as Carnton, the Carter House and the Lotz House. Inside the HPO, new construction, additions and alterations are reviewed under the Franklin Historic District Design Guidelines.
The Historic Zoning Commission (HZC) does that review. It has nine citizen appointees who represent architecture, history or historic preservation, the planning commission and the community, and it meets monthly. The current guidelines were recommended by the HZC on April 11, 2022, adopted by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen on May 24, 2022, and took effect May 30, 2022.
What needs a Certificate of Appropriateness in Franklin?
In Franklin’s Historic Preservation Overlay, most exterior work needs a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) before it starts. The City of Franklin lists these projects as needing HZC approval, as of October 2026:
- new buildings or structures, and additions such as enclosed rooms, porches, stoops and decks
- alterations or repairs that need a building permit
- window alterations or replacement
- siding or masonry changes, except minor in-kind repair
- roofing changes, except in-kind repair, and new dormers
- painting brick or stone that has never been painted
- fences, walls, walkways, driveways, parking areas and lighting
- modern equipment on the house or lot, including mechanical and communications equipment, ramps and lifts, skylights and solar panels
- interior changes that alter how the outside looks
- demolishing or moving a building
Some smaller items can get an Administrative COA from the city’s preservation planner instead of going to the commission: signs, awnings, rear yard fencing, mechanical equipment and its screening, and minor changes to non-historic parts on the back or hidden sides of a building. The planner can still send any of those to the HZC.
For ordinary repairs, the city asks owners to contact preservation staff before any repair or replacement work so the changes are documented. Before a formal application, you can take your plans to the Design Review Committee, made up of HZC members, for informal feedback that isn’t binding. A COA is good for two years, and the preservation planner can grant one six-month extension if you ask in writing before it expires and the work hasn’t started.
Can you tear down or add on to a historic home in downtown Franklin?
Demolition of a historic building in Franklin’s historic districts isn’t permitted unless there are extraordinary circumstances, per the city’s design guidelines. The HZC can approve it only if the building has lost its historic integrity, if denial would cause unreasonable economic hardship, or if a structural engineer or architect with historic experience documents that it can’t be saved. The owner carries the burden of proof.
Additions are allowed, with review. The guidelines treat the front of a house as the most important part to keep intact, and say a higher degree of change on the back may be more appropriate. The guidelines also tell owners to avoid “demolition by neglect,” which means keeping up routine maintenance and major repairs so a historic house never deteriorates past saving.
What should you check before you buy a historic home in Franklin?
- Is it in the overlay? Look the address up on the city’s Historic Resources Map. A National Register listing alone doesn’t bring design review; a local district does.
- What’s been approved before? The city keeps records of past building permits and issued Certificates of Appropriateness. Ask for them through a city records request before you’re under contract.
- What do you want to change? If you’re planning new windows, an addition, a fence or solar panels, talk to the city’s preservation staff early, and consider the Design Review Committee before you close.
- The house’s history. The Williamson County Property Assessor’s office may be able to date additions, and National Register listings with historic photos are on the National Park Service archive.
- An inspector who knows old houses. Ask what older houses the inspector has worked on, since the guidelines favor repairing original features over replacing them.
- Taxes and school district. They depend on the exact address. My cost of living in Franklin guide shows how the city and school district lines change a bill.
Already own a historic home near downtown?
If you own a historic home near downtown Franklin and you’re wondering what it would bring, get a Franklin home value estimate. An older house close to Main Street is hard to price from an online estimate, so I’ll pull the closed sales that actually compare.
Why work with me on a historic home in Franklin?
I’ve been selling real estate since 2013, I’ve been part of more than 500 transactions, and I’ve been investing in real estate since 2005, including the historic house I restored in Columbia. I’ll read the city’s rules against your plans for the house before you make an offer. If Franklin’s higher-priced homes outside downtown are on your list too, see my Franklin luxury homes guide, and for the rest of the city, my Franklin, TN homes for sale guide.
Schools In The Area
Frequently asked questions about downtown Franklin and historic homes
What counts as downtown Franklin, TN?
There’s no single official line for “downtown” on a listing. Most people mean the blocks around the Public Square and Main Street. The closest thing to an official boundary is the city’s Downtown Franklin Historic District, which takes in the public square and courthouse and Franklin’s oldest residential and commercial buildings.
How many historic districts does Franklin, TN have?
Franklin has seven local historic districts and five National Register historic districts. The local districts are Downtown Franklin, Hincheyville, Lewisburg Avenue, Adams Street, Boyd Mill Avenue, Everbright Avenue and Franklin Road.
Do I need permission to change the outside of a historic home in Franklin?
Yes, if the home is in the Historic Preservation Overlay. Most exterior work needs a Certificate of Appropriateness first, issued by the Historic Zoning Commission or, for some minor items, by city staff.
Does National Register listing restrict what I can do with my Franklin home?
Per the city’s guidelines, listing in the National Register doesn’t put restrictions on how a private owner uses, treats or sells the property. The local districts are where Franklin’s design guidelines are legally enforced.
How long is a Certificate of Appropriateness good for in Franklin?
A COA is good for two years, and the preservation planner can grant one six-month extension if you ask in writing before it expires and the work hasn’t started.
Can you demolish a historic house in Franklin, TN?
Demolition of a historic building in Franklin’s historic districts isn’t permitted unless there are extraordinary circumstances, per the city’s design guidelines. The owner carries the burden of proof.
How do I find out if a Franklin home is in a historic district?
Look the address up on the city’s Historic Resources Map, which shows Franklin’s local and national historic districts.
Franklin Guides and Advice
More of my guides for buying and selling in Williamson County.
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