Downtown Decatur has historic homes dating back to the early 1800s. Many of the country’s popular architectural styles over the years can be found in Downtown Decatur. A walking/driving tour is available in both print and audio versions on the Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau website.

Old Decatur is the older of the two historic neighborhoods, dating back to 1820. Some of the existing homes in the neighborhood date all the way back to 1829 and most of the houses were built in the late 19th century. Architectural styles in this neighborhood include Victorian cottages, Art Deco, Second Empire, and Queen Anne.

In 1887, a second neighborhood called New Decatur began to form south of Old Decatur. This neighborhood, later re-named New Albany, included a new park and many of the homes in the area were built around the park. Today, Delano Park is still surrounded by many of those same historic homes. Architectural styles in this neighborhood include Colonial Revival, California Cottage, Dutch Colonial, and Frank Lloyd Wright influences.

The historic homes in Downtown Decatur are private residences and are generally not open to the public. However, each year there are some events where visitors can tour the houses and gardens. In May, downtown residents host fellow gardeners during the Spring Garden Tours event. In December, owners of several historic houses, open their homes to visitors during the Decatur Tour of Homes event.