The Oglethorpe Avenue Historic District is the area located west of Normaltown along Oglethorpe and Normal avenues and within the historic portion of the U.S. Navy Supply Corps Campus.

Characterized by gently rolling terrain and a high plain that slopes southward, the district encompasses institutional and residential areas. The U.S. Navy Supply Corps School occupies a large northern tract, traversed by a grid of private thoroughfares. The majority of historic institutional buildings are oriented toward these interior roads, with the exception of Winnie Davis Hall, which fronts Prince Avenue. These brick structures primarily represent the Neoclassical style; whereas, the two private dwellings within the Navy School holdings exhibit eclectic Victorian detailing on their two-story frames. New construction has extended the campus eastward, resulting in some demolition and subsequent infill. Four pairs of brick entrance posts remain, however. Forming the southern portion of the district, the principal tree-shaded thoroughfare of Oglethorpe Avenue shuns the typical gridiron pattern by extending at a southwestward angle from Prince Avenue and curving rather sharply westward before assuming a straight alignment. Normal Avenue intersects Oglethorpe perpendicularly from the south. Along Oglethorpe and Normal avenues, rectangular tracts of uniform size feature houses influenced by the Queen Anne and Craftsman styles. The residences are usually one-and-a-half stories with similar setbacks and wood, brick, stucco, or stone exteriors. A brick service station with a tile roof stands on the southwest corner of Prince and Oglethorpe avenues. Residential infill appears on previously undeveloped lots, and houses between Prince Avenue and Orr Street reveal substantial alterations.

Rural until the mid-1800s, the area was sold by William Brown in 1841. In 1860 the trustees of the University of Georgia purchased approximately 93 acres here and sold off two-thirds of the tract for private lots. On the remaining 30 acres the university established a preparatory school known as the University High School. In 1862 the first building erected was Rock College, later known as Gilmer Hall. This building housed the University High School and served as a military school during the Civil War. From 1872 to 1891, the site housed the College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts, also known as the University Farm. Established by the Georgia Legislature in 1891, the State Normal School opened in this location in 1895 as a branch of the University of Georgia, to train rural teachers and improve teaching skills. Successively renamed the Georgia State Teachers College in 1927 and Coordinate College in 1929, the campus was eventually leased for female dormitory space by the University of Georgia, except when the U.S. Army training program leased it during World War II. In 1953 the U.S. Navy purchased the campus for the Supply Corps School.

The Carnegie Library Building is a resource of individual merit within the Oglethorpe Avenue Historic District (see Inventory: Part I). Other buildings of distinction on the Navy Supply Corps School Campus include the Cobb House (Lamar), Winnie Davis Hall, Miller Hall, Pound Hall, the President's Cottage, and Rhodes Hall (see Inventory: Part II).

The Oglethorpe Avenue Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (November 11, 1987) and the Old State Normal School has been recognized by the Georgia Historical Marker Program (029-03).