Homes for Sale in Downtown Franklin, TN: Historic Guide

Key takeaway

Most downtown Franklin sales are below $1 million: 401 closed sales across all property types, condos and townhomes included, had a $675,000 median, and 121 of them closed at $1M or more. The $1M+ end is the older single-family houses: 35 pre-1950 homes across Franklin's three ZIP codes sold at a $1,325,000 median in the past year. If the house is in one of Franklin's seven local historic districts, most exterior work needs a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic Zoning Commission first.

At a glance

Downtown median, all property types	$675,000 (401 sales, page updated May 2026)
Pre-1950 homes, Franklin ZIPs	$1,325,000 median, 35 sales, 12 months
Zillow, Central Franklin (Aug 2026)	$710,247
Local historic districts	Seven, forming the Historic Preservation Overlay
Design review	Franklin Historic Zoning Commission (Certificate of Appropriateness)
Lots near Main Street	Often a quarter acre or less

Homes for sale in downtown Franklin, TN: what $1 million and up buys

The downtown median is honest but misleading for this price range. The $675,000 figure, from RealTracs MLS sales data for the 12 months to May 2026, blends condos, townhomes and small houses with large historic homes, and prices ran from $185 to $886 a square foot, with a median of $339. Zillow's typical home value for the Central Franklin planning area was $710,247 in August 2026, which tells the same story. Split by price, the $1M+ market is real but narrower.

Price tier	Closed sales	Median price
Under $500,000	35	$410,000
$500,000 to $750,000	145	$635,000
$750,000 to $1M	100	$847,000
$1M to $1.5M	87	$1,201,000
$1.5M to $2M	17	$1,725,000
$2M and up	17	$2,625,000

Source: RealTracs MLS sales data for downtown Franklin, rolling 12 months, published May 2026. 121 of the 401 sales, about 30%, closed at $1M or more.

Houses in the historic core

Historic inventory concentrates on streets such as West Main, Lewisburg Avenue and Fair Street around the Public Square. Lots near Main Street are often a quarter acre or less, so a $1M+ house here buys age, architecture and the walk to town rather than ground.

Larger historic lots

Parcels get bigger on Lewisburg Avenue, Adams Street and in Hincheyville, where half-acre to multi-acre lots appear. On these lots an addition, pool or garage is physically possible, which is exactly when the commission's review comes into play.

Condos, townhomes and newer infill

Condos and townhomes make up much of the sub-$750,000 volume. HOA dues downtown run from nothing on a historic single-family house to about $900 a month on some condos, with a median of $164 a month among homes that have one. Newer infill houses built to the design guidelines also trade here and often price closer to the historic houses than to the condos.

Historic homes vs newer homes in Franklin: the price gap

Older houses in Franklin sell for more per square foot than almost anything else in town. The table sets the pre-1950 market beside the city as a whole and beside Westhaven, the largest newer community.

Segment (12 months)	Sales	Median price	Per sq ft	Notes
Pre-1950 homes, ZIPs 37064, 37067, 37069	35	$1,325,000	$555 median	Built 1806 to 1949; $400,000 to $35,000,000; average $2,627,111
All Franklin single-family homes	1,663	$1,060,000	n/a	Average $1,405,492; 12 months to Sept 28, 2026
Westhaven houses (built since 2003)	244	$1,543,612	$474 median, all Westhaven sales	Houses $773,000 to $5,700,000
Downtown Franklin, all property types	401	$675,000	$339 median	Includes condos and townhomes
All homes in ZIP 37064	n/a	n/a	$372 median	Highest per-foot of Franklin's ZIPs

Sources: RealTracs MLS sales data, rolling 12 months (pre-1950 and Westhaven to October 2026, Franklin to September 28, 2026, downtown to May 2026).

Two things stand out. First, the pre-1950 median per square foot, $555, is about half again the $372 median for all homes in ZIP 37064, so pricing an old house off its newer neighbors' per-foot figures usually undershoots. Second, the average of $2.6M against a $1.3M median shows how much a handful of landmark estates move the numbers: an early 1900s cottage and an antebellum house on acreage are both pre-1950, but they are different markets. Compare like with like: era, lot size and distance to Main Street.

Franklin's historic districts, one by one

Franklin has seven local historic districts, which together form the city's Historic Preservation Overlay (HPO), adopted by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen. Four of them are also on the National Register of Historic Places, and an eighth district, Natchez Street, is on the National Register only. The city's design guidelines count more than 1,060 buildings and structures across the five National Register districts.

District	Main era of houses	National Register	In the local overlay
Downtown Franklin	Mostly 19th century	Listed 1972 (boundary increases 1988 and 2000)	Yes
Hincheyville	About 1828 to the 1930s	Listed 1982	Yes
Lewisburg Avenue	1880s to 1935	Listed 1988	Yes
Adams Street	About 1890 to 1940	Listed 2000	Yes
Franklin Road	Early 1800s to the 1950s	Individual landmarks only	Yes
Boyd Mill Avenue	Early to mid 20th century	No	Yes
Everbright Avenue	1920s	No	Yes
Natchez Street	n/a	Yes	No

Sources: City of Franklin historic districts page; National Register listing dates from the National Park Service reference numbers. Confirm any parcel on the city's HPO map: district names on listings are not always accurate.

Downtown Franklin Historic District

Sixteen blocks of homes and commercial buildings in the oldest part of town, including the Public Square and the courthouse. Most buildings date from the 19th century. Early houses were often Federal, and many show later Greek Revival, Italianate and Victorian changes. These are the houses closest to Main Street, usually on the smallest lots.

Hincheyville

Franklin's first residential addition, named for the merchant Hinchey Petway, along West Main, Fair and Sixth through Tenth Streets. Houses range from about 1828 to the 1930s, from Federal and Greek Revival through Queen Anne, Four Square, Bungalow and Tudor Revival. Some lots here run to half an acre or more.

Lewisburg Avenue

Late 19th and early 20th century houses just outside the original town boundary, mostly built in the 1880s and 1890s in Queen Anne, Italianate and vernacular forms, with Colonial Revival, Tudor and Bungalow houses added before 1935. The city notes little construction since 1935, which is why the street reads as a single period.

Adams Street

Along Adams and Stewart Streets, on former farmland just outside the town's 1800 plat. Most houses are one-story frame Folk Victorians with Queen Anne and Italianate details, built from about 1890 to 1940, with Bungalows from the 1920s and 1930s. The National Register listing counts 37 buildings.

Franklin Road

The largest district, reaching just under two miles north of downtown along the north bank of the Harpeth River. It takes in National Register landmarks such as Harlinsdale Farm and The Factory, and in 2006 the city added properties on Franklin Road, Winslow Road, Hooper Lane and the Myles Manor subdivision. Houses range from the early 1800s to the 1950s, so this is where you find historic houses on larger parcels.

Boyd Mill Avenue

Colonial Revival, Folk Victorian, Bungalow and cottage houses from the early to mid 20th century, on lots sold off from two old estates, plus Magnolia Hall, an 1840 Italianate house. Local district only, so the overlay rules apply even though it is not on the National Register.

Everbright Avenue

The smallest district, at five parcels: 1920s Craftsman houses on land that was once part of the Battle Ground Academy campus. Few sales, but the same review rules as the larger districts.

Natchez Street and properties outside the districts

The Natchez Street Historic District is on the National Register but outside the overlay, so local design review does not apply there. The overlay also covers eight historic properties outside the districts, including Carnton, the Carter House, the Lotz House and Fort Granger.

National Register vs Franklin's historic overlay: which one limits what you can do

What National Register listing means for an owner

National Register listing is federal recognition. On its own it does not restrict how a private owner uses, alters or sells a house, does not require maintenance and does not prevent demolition. Rules apply only if federal money, licensing or a federal tax credit is involved.

What the local overlay means

The Historic Preservation Overlay is a zoning layer added on top of a parcel's base zoning. It does not change the allowed uses, but it does require the Historic Zoning Commission to approve exterior changes in material or design before work starts. That is the designation that affects a buyer's plans.

Do you have to restore the house?

No. The city is clear that owners in a local district are not required to do anything to their houses and can keep them as they are. Review applies only when you propose an exterior change.

The Franklin Historic Zoning Commission process, step by step

The Historic Zoning Commission (HZC) has nine members appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, including members from architecture, history or preservation and the planning commission. It meets monthly. It judges applications against the Franklin Historic District Design Guidelines (effective May 30, 2022) and the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation.

Step 1: Confirm the parcel is in the overlay

Check the address on the city's HPO map. The city says only the City Preservation Planner can confirm inclusion, so get that in writing for any house where your plans depend on it.

Step 2: Talk to preservation staff

Contact Historic Preservation staff for initial design guidance and a preliminary meeting. Staff also tell you whether the work needs a full COA, an administrative one or none at all.

Step 3: Use the Design Review Committee

An optional Design Review Committee of HZC members gives informal, non-binding feedback before you apply. The city especially encourages it for new construction, additions and demolition, where designs are most likely to change.

Step 4: Apply for the Certificate of Appropriateness

Submit through the city's development application process, described in its Application User Guide. Pending applications show on the city's development map, so you can also look up what neighbors have applied for.

Step 5: The commission decides

The HZC reviews the application at its monthly meeting and issues a COA if the work meets the intent of the guidelines. It can attach conditions. For minor work, staff may issue an administrative COA instead, or send it to the commission.

Step 6: Permits and in-kind repair records

With the COA in hand, apply for any building permit the work needs. For repairs that match existing materials, the city asks you to contact preservation staff to set up an In-Kind Repair Document, so the record shows the work was a repair and not a change.

For lot splits, development plans and plats that create new lots, the HZC also makes a preliminary recommendation to the Planning Commission and the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, looking at lot widths, setbacks, height, massing and scale. If you are buying a large historic parcel with an eye to dividing it, expect that review.

What needs HZC approval in Franklin's historic district, and what doesn't

Work that needs a COA from the commission

New buildings, and additions such as enclosed rooms, porches, stoops, porte cocheres and decks.
Alterations or repairs that need a building permit.
Replacing or altering windows.
Siding or masonry changes, and roofing changes, other than minor repair in kind.
Dormers, canopies and painting masonry that has never been painted.
Fences, walls, walkways, driveways, parking and lighting.
Mechanical and communications equipment, ramps and lifts, rooftop features, security bars, skylights and solar panels.
Interior changes that affect how the outside looks.
Partial or full demolition, and moving a building.

What staff can approve

An administrative COA covers minor changes that follow the guidelines: signs, awnings, rear-yard fencing, mechanical equipment and its screening, and small changes to non-historic parts of rear or hidden facades, such as a rear door or a non-historic window. It never covers changes to the footprint or roofline.

What needs no COA

The city lists interior work of any kind (a new kitchen or bathroom included), repainting, landscaping, and repairs to walks, driveways, patios, fences, siding, trim and shingles that match the existing materials. The commission does not review paint colors. The exception is painting brick that has never been painted, which needs review.

Franklin historic district design guidelines: fences, windows, additions and demolition

Fences and walls

In front yards and within 20 feet of the front facade, the guidelines call for wood picket, open brick or cast iron fences at least 25% see-through, no taller than 3 feet, and ask owners to avoid aluminum and chain-link. Horse fencing may be considered in rural settings at up to 4.5 feet. Retaining walls should be faced in brick or stone. Rear yards get more privacy, and rear-yard fencing can be approved by staff.

Windows and siding

Replacing or altering windows needs a COA. On siding, the city's own example is useful: replacing a few rotten clapboards with matching wood is an in-kind repair that needs no COA, but re-siding the house in vinyl or fiber cement needs one, and the guidelines recommend keeping original wood siding on contributing historic houses.

Additions and new buildings

Any addition needs a COA, and the commission grants it when the design fits the proportions, style and design of the existing house. New buildings should be secondary to the historic ones on the site and should not block public views of them. Take addition drawings to the Design Review Committee before you apply; that is where most design issues get resolved.

Demolition and relocation

Tearing down all or part of a building, or moving one, needs a COA. The guidelines give demolition its own chapter, with approval criteria, economic hardship considerations and a section on demolition by neglect, so do not buy a historic house on the assumption that it can be cleared.

Read the Franklin Historic District Design Guidelines for your house type before you price a renovation.

Historic tax credits: what applies to a house you live in

Usually nothing. The federal 20% historic rehabilitation tax credit applies only to income-producing buildings, such as commercial, rental residential or apartment uses, and the Tennessee Historical Commission states plainly that it cannot be used on your private residence. A part of a home used for business, such as a rental apartment or office, may qualify for that part.

To qualify at all, the building must be individually listed on the National Register or certified as contributing to a listed district (not every building in a district is), the rehabilitation must cost more than the building's pre-rehabilitation value, and the project must be reviewed by the State Historic Preservation Office and the National Park Service. If you plan a rental cottage or a mixed-use building near Main Street, confirm eligibility with a Tennessee CPA before you budget around a credit.

Flood risk near the Harpeth River in downtown Franklin

The Harpeth River curves past downtown, and the Franklin Road district sits on its north bank. A 2013 American Planning Association report counted at least ten significant floods in Franklin since 1929 and noted that Fifth Avenue North, one of the gateways into downtown, is in the 100-year floodplain. In May 2010 the river crested at 35.32 feet in downtown Franklin, just above the 1948 record of 35.14 feet, according to the Harpeth Conservancy.

Don't assume a house is clear of the floodplain because it is a few blocks from Main Street. For any historic house near the river or a creek, look the address up on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, ask the seller for an elevation certificate and any flood claims, and get a flood insurance quote before your due diligence ends. If the parcel is in a mapped flood zone, ask the city how its floodplain rules would apply to an addition or rebuild, on top of the historic guidelines.

Living near Main Street: what's in walking distance

What a downtown house buys is location. The Downtown Franklin Association, a division of the nonprofit Heritage Foundation of Williamson County, looks after the 16-block historic district around Main Street and the Public Square.

Main Street and the square

The Franklin Theatre first opened in 1937 and reopened on June 3, 2011 after a three-year rehabilitation of more than $8 million by the Heritage Foundation; it hosts concerts and films. The Downtown Franklin Association also runs street events such as PumpkinFest, whose 41st edition is set for October 24 and 25, 2026, so ask about event closures and parking if a house fronts the core streets.

Parks and landmarks nearby

Harlinsdale Farm, a 200-acre public park, is about a mile from Main Street. The Factory at Franklin, a restored 1929 stove factory, has shops and restaurants close to downtown, and Carnton and the Carter House are within the city's historic overlay. Nashville is about 21 miles north on I-65. If you want a newer house a short drive from downtown, Westhaven is about three miles west, and the Franklin neighborhoods guide compares the rest.

Buying a historic home in Franklin: what to check

Confirm the overlay. Check whether the parcel sits inside the Historic Preservation Overlay before you plan an addition, windows, a roof or solar.
Ask for past approvals. Request copies of any COAs and in-kind repair records on the property and check that finished work matches them.
Price the plan, then the timeline. If your purchase depends on an addition or garage, talk to Historic Preservation staff, and consider the Design Review Committee, before your due diligence ends.
Inspect for age. Ask your inspector about foundations, wiring, plumbing, roof framing and windows in a house of that era, and get repair quotes that assume in-kind materials.
Check the flood map. Look the address up on FEMA's map and get an insurance quote.
Check schools by address. Franklin Special School District (K-8, in parts of the city) and Williamson County Schools both serve Franklin addresses; confirm the assignment with each district, starting from the Franklin schools guide.

I can pull the pre-1950 sales near a house you are considering, so you can see what comparable homes closed for.

Selling a historic house in Franklin at $1M+

Pricing a pre-1950 house against the wrong comparables is the most common way to miss. A historic house priced off newer neighbors on a per-foot basis can land well below what buyers of older homes have paid. The opposite also happens when a house needs work a buyer will have to clear through the commission.

Gather the approvals before you list: copies of any Certificates of Appropriateness, permits, in-kind repair records and the dates of roof, window and system work. Buyers ask, and having them shortens due diligence. The guide to selling a $1M+ home in Franklin covers pricing, timing and preparation.

Owning downtown: taxes, insurance and upkeep

Houses in the historic overlay are inside the City of Franklin, so the tax bill includes both city and county rates; the worked numbers are in the Williamson County property tax guide. Whether the Franklin Special School District rate also applies depends on the parcel, so check it on the county's site. Insurance and upkeep on an older house run on their own logic: ask your insurer how it treats historic materials and replacement cost, and budget for repairs done in kind.

Common questions

Do I need approval to renovate a house in Franklin's historic district?

Usually, for anything visible. Inside Franklin's Historic Preservation Overlay, new buildings, additions, window replacement, siding, roofing changes, fences, driveways, solar panels and demolition all need a Certificate of Appropriateness. Interior work, repainting, landscaping and in-kind repairs do not. The city asks owners to call Historic Preservation staff before any repair or replacement, even if no certificate is needed.

What is a Certificate of Appropriateness in Franklin, TN?

It is the approval Franklin's Historic Zoning Commission issues before new construction, additions or exterior alterations inside the Historic Preservation Overlay district. The nine-member commission meets monthly and judges plans against the Franklin Historic District Design Guidelines. Staff can issue an administrative certificate for small changes such as rear-yard fencing or mechanical equipment, but may refer any application to the full commission.

How many historic districts does Franklin, TN have?

Franklin has seven local historic districts: Downtown Franklin, Hincheyville, Lewisburg Avenue, Adams Street, Franklin Road, Boyd Mill Avenue and Everbright Avenue. Together they form the Historic Preservation Overlay, where design review applies. Four are also on the National Register, and the Natchez Street district is on the National Register only, outside the overlay. Confirm any address on the city's map.

How much do homes cost in downtown Franklin?

Across all property types, including condos and townhomes, downtown Franklin's median was $675,000 over 401 sales, with a median of $339 a square foot, according to RealTracs MLS sales data. 121 of those sales closed at $1M or more. Older single-family houses cost more: 35 pre-1950 homes in Franklin's three ZIP codes sold at a $1,325,000 median in the past year.

Can I add solar panels or replace windows on a historic home in Franklin?

Only with approval if the house is inside the Historic Preservation Overlay. The city lists window alterations or replacement, solar equipment, skylights and rooftop features among the work that needs a Certificate of Appropriateness. Talk to Historic Preservation staff first, since replacing a non-historic window on a rear or hidden facade may qualify for an administrative approval.

Can you tear down a historic house in downtown Franklin?

Not without review. Partial or full demolition, and moving a building, both require a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic Zoning Commission inside the overlay district, and the design guidelines set specific approval criteria and hardship considerations. The city encourages owners to use its optional Design Review Committee for informal, non-binding feedback before applying.

Does National Register listing restrict what I can do to my house?

Not by itself. National Register listing does not limit how a private owner uses, alters or sells a house unless federal funds, licensing or a federal tax credit are involved. In Franklin, the restrictions come from the city's local Historic Preservation Overlay, which requires Historic Zoning Commission approval for exterior changes. Four of Franklin's districts carry both designations.

Are there tax credits for restoring a historic home in Franklin?

Not for a house you live in. The federal 20% historic rehabilitation credit applies only to income-producing buildings, and the Tennessee Historical Commission says it cannot be used on a private residence, though a rental apartment or office within a home may qualify for that part. The building must be National Register listed or contributing. Confirm with a Tennessee CPA.

Is downtown Franklin in a flood zone?

Parts of Franklin near the Harpeth River are. A 2013 American Planning Association report noted that Fifth Avenue North, a gateway into downtown, is in the 100-year floodplain, and the river crested at 35.32 feet downtown in May 2010. Flood status is parcel by parcel, so check any address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center and get an insurance quote.

Do I need approval to paint a house in Franklin's historic district?

No, not to repaint. The Historic Zoning Commission does not review paint colors, and repainting a house that is already painted needs no Certificate of Appropriateness. The exception is painting brick or other masonry that has never been painted, which requires review. Contact preservation staff if you are unsure whether a surface counts as previously painted.

What is the nicest neighborhood in Franklin, TN?

It depends on what you want from the house. Downtown's historic districts offer age, architecture and a walk to Main Street, with larger lots on Lewisburg Avenue, Adams Street, Hincheyville and Franklin Road. Newer communities and gated neighborhoods offer more space and newer construction. Compare recent sales and lot sizes in each rather than a ranking.

Sources

Brianna Morant

I have worked in real estate for more than 20 years. In 2013 I founded Oak Street Real Estate Group with Benchmark Realty, and I lead every listing the team takes on. Here I focus on homes from $1 million in Franklin, Leiper's Fork and College Grove. If you are thinking of selling, I would be glad to tell you what your home could sell for.

Realtor®, Benchmark Realty, LLC. General information, not legal, tax or lending advice.

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Homes for sale in downtown Franklin, TN: the historic districts at $1M and up