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CELEBR AT ING OVER 4 0 Y E A R S OF PR E SERVATION IN ATL ANTA ! The Atlanta Preservation Center is celebrating over 40 years of preservation advocacy and education. Established on November 5, 1979, the Atlanta Preservation Center has been fortunate to play a role in preserving the City of Atlanta’s historic resources: in Fairlie-Poplar, Auburn Avenue, Midtown, English Avenue, West End, Westview, and many more.
We have grown to understand our role, to promote the craft of preservation, and that preservation must be more inclusive and a constant part of the discussion of our city. Preservation can - and must - bind us to our past, present, and future. The Atlanta Preservation Center is deeply grateful to Council Member Amir Farokhi
and the entire Atlanta City Council for recognizing the organization with an official proclamation. We are also grateful for all our dedicated members, volunteers, and community partners throughout the decades for their constant support. We are very proud of what has been accomplished and are enthusiastic about what we can do in the decades to come. Thank you, Atlanta.
HISTOR IC KIRKW O OD This circa 1900 gabled wing cottage in historic Kirkwood features Folk Victorian style, popular across Georgia from the 1870s through the 1910s. The houses usually feature simple forms, porches with spindle work detailing, jig-sawn trim, and gable decoration. The Kirkwood
National Register Historic District is a large and diverse neighborhood of single-family homes, apartments, commercial buildings, schools, churches, gas stations, industrial buildings, and parks located in the eastern portion of the City of Atlanta. Kirkwood developed from a rural area to an independent city to an Atlanta streetcar (and later automobile) suburb. ATLANTAPRESERVATIONCENTER.COM |
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Advocacy and Preservation Progress
IT ’S OFFICIA L ! PONCE Y -H IG HL AND I S AT L AN TA’S NE WE ST LO C A L HISTORIC DI ST R IC T The Poncey-Highland Neighborhood is now officially designated by the City of Atlanta as a local historic district. Through the efforts of the Poncey Highland Neighborhood Association, NPU-N (NPUAtlanta), the Department of City Planning and the Historic Preservation Studio, Caleb Racicot and TSW, District 2 City Councilmember Amir Farokhi, and many others, this historic in-town neighborhood is now protected at the local level and thoughtfully balances growth and historic preservation.
The neighborhood features a diverse number of housing types and styles, including Colonial Revival, Mediterranean Revival, Neoclassical Revival, Tudor Revival, Bungalow/Craftsman, American Foursquare, and American Small House, coupled with the presence of numerous historic apartment buildings. The APC fully supported the PonceyHighland Historic District, speaking in favor of the nomination at the Zoning Review Board Hearing and providing letters of support.
DAV ID T. HOWA RD SCHO OL A D A P T I VE R E USE AND RENOVATION CO MPLE T E The historic 1923 David T. Howard School is reopening as a middle school for the Atlanta Public Schools after a significant adaptive reuse and renovation. The school had been closed for over 40 years. Notable alumni include Martin Luther King, Jr., Maynard Jackson, Olympic gold medalist Mildred McDaniel Singleton, and NBA legend Walt “Clyde” Frazier. The building is named for David T. Howard — who was born into slavery and rose to become an Atlanta business leader and philanthropist. He later donated the acreage in the Old Fourth Ward that became the David T. Howard School.
OR M E WO OD AVENUE BRI D G E L AND M A R K DE SIGN AT ION The Atlanta Preservation Center is leading efforts to designate the Ormewood Avenue Bridge as a City of Atlanta landmark site. Connecting the historic Grant Park and Ormewood Park neighborhoods, the massive concrete bridge dates to 18981899, likely to the original construction
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of the former Atlanta & West Point RailRoad (future site of the BeltLine). The APC is leading the research and designation report process in partnership with South Atlantans for Neighborhood Development (SAND) and the Grant Park Neighborhood Association (GPNA).
H I STOR IC ‘ VA-H I BU I LDI N G’ PR ESERV ED AN D R EV I TALI Z ED Gene Kansas Commercial Real Estate and the Atlanta Preservation Center recently partnered for a historic preservation project of the well-known ‘Va-Hi Building’ in the Virginia-Highland neighborhood. Built in 1925, this project is a prime example of historic preservation used as a tool for thoughtful redevelopment and adaptive
reuse. It will continue to be home to longstanding Paolo’s Gelato, with new local businesses Kinship Butchery and Pizza By The Slice joining soon. For more information about the Va-Hi Building or other historic preservation and development projects by GK|CRE, please visit genekansas.com.
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EN G LI SH AV EN U E S CHO OL
Located on Peachtree Street SW (formerly Whitehall Street) just south of the Five Points MARTA Station, the Whitehall Street Retail Historic District features a large historic commercial urban area in Downtown Atlanta.
department store chains such as McCrory’s, Kress, and H.L. Green. The Whitehall Street Retail Historic District is also significant for its role in the Civil Rights movement, including the 1960 student-led sit-ins at lunch counters.
For nearly one hundred years, this area served as Atlanta’s commercial and retail core. Prominent Atlanta department stores, including Rich’s and McClure’s first opened on Whitehall Street as well as national
The APC has long advocated for the preservation of Downtown Atlanta’s historic commercial core and appreciates Newport’s stewardship and efforts to thoughtfully preserve and reuse these historic spaces.
In March, the 1911 English Avenue Elementary School was officially listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The Atlanta Preservation Center sponsored the nomination and prepared the nomination materials. Notable alumni include Gladys Knight and former State Representative “Able” Mable Thomas.
WE ST VIEW CEMETERY In June, Westview Cemetery was officially listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The nomination was sponsored by Westview Cemetery and the Atlanta Preservation Center and prepared by historian and author Jeff Clemmons. Established in 1884, Westview Cemetery sits on over 500 acres and features many architectural styles including Neo-Classical Revival, Romanesque Revival, Gothic Revival, Art Deco, and eclectic mixes
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Sledders in Piedmont Park enjoying the snow, 1948, Georgia State University Library Digital Collections.
R ESTOR AT ION W OR K C ON CLU DES AT G LEN C A ST LE/ ATL AN TA STO CK ADE M AN U EL’S TAVER N
of styles appearing in many of the mausoleums, obelisks, headstones, and other markers. Notable structures include the circa 1890 gatehouse designed in the Romanesque-Revival style and the 1943 Westview Abbey, designed in the Spanish Plateresque style. Learn more about Westview Cemetery and the APC’s ongoing work with the Friends of Historic Westview at friendsofwestview.org.
Throwback
Newly added to the National Register of historic places
WH ITEHA LL STREET RETA I L DI ST R IC T
In May, Manuel’s Tavern was officially listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Established in 1956 by Manuel Maloof, this popular Poncey-Highland neighborhood restaurant and bar is “associated with the undercurrent of Atlanta’s political and social realm” and has long been recognized as a space welcoming to all, regardless of race, sex, or social status. The Manuel’s Tavern space occupies a circa 1922 commercial building along North Highland Avenue. Manuel’s Tavern is open for dining and takeout.
BR I A R CLI FF PL A Z A Constructed in 1939/1940 at the corner of Ponce de Leon Avenue NE and North Highland Avenue NE, lead architect/engineer George Harwell Bond designed Briarcliff Plaza in the Streamline Moderne style with Art Deco style elements. Briarcliff Plaza’s auto oriented design represented a new type of shopping center experience in Atlanta.
Work on the Glencastle site recently concluded and the APC spoke with Sarah Butler of PRAXIS3 Architecture and Jason Eden of Cross-Town on this major adaptive reuse and restoration project. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1987 and designated by the City of Atlanta as a historic exterior in 1989, the Atlanta Stockade served as a City jail and included a blacksmith shop and stables. The City closed the buildings in 1924. Beginning in 2018, the Glencastle site underwent a significant renovation and restoration. Work included restoration of several original openings that had been blocked in, re-pointing of all masonry walls, repair of structural cracks in the Blacksmith’s exterior walls, and weatherproof re-coating of the Stockade exterior concrete walls. The adaptive reuse project successfully balanced code update challenges with preservation goals. The project added
new ADA accessibility in the least intrusive way. Installing new HVAC equipment proved challenging due to the building’s unreinforced concrete and masonry walls. Again, the least intrusive means were used to group HVAC equipment and electrical
conduits. Additionally, previous nonhistoric renovations had to be “undone” -- including the removal of incorrectly sized vinyl windows and patching of previous penetrations for plumbing and electrical. Learn more about this project at www.glencastleatl.com.
Businesses that have called Briarcliff Plaza home include Plaza Drugs, Holcomb Florist, Fulton National Bank, Colonial Stores, and still operating to this day, the Majestic Diner and Plaza Theatre.
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The 40,000 square foot school space features a cafeteria, auditorium with stage, a library, and at least 15 classrooms and offices. These historic spaces will once again serve as a space of inclusivity, creativity, and learning. The circa 1955 school will be a space for aspiring and early-stage content creators, filmmakers, artists, and gamers: a
40,000 SF playground for the artistic mind in Southwest Atlanta. Equally, this space will serve as a resource hub for its community and for those seeking entry into this city and states many expansive creative industries. The Atlanta Preservation Center is very excited to partner with and support RYSE rysecreativevillage.com on this project.
TH E WEST VIEW CEMETERY G AT EHO USE G E TS AN A SSE SSME N T This fall, the Atlanta Preservation Center partnered with the Friends of Historic Westview Cemetery, Westview Cemetery, and Landmark Preservation to begin initial historic surveys of the circa 1880’s gatehouse. Collaborating with the APC were Danielle Willkens, PhD of the Georgia
M U R PHY CR OSSING The Atlanta Preservation Center continues to encourage and advocate for the preservation and adaptive reuse of the circa 1941–1955 Old State Farmer’s Market
(‘Murphy Crossing’) in historic Capitol View adjacent to the Atlanta BeltLine Southwest Trail. The APC has been present for several of the community engagement and stakeholder meetings on the upcoming Murphy Crossing Development Request for Proposals. Murphy Crossing contains numerous historic resources of local, state, and national importance that illustrate “the development of industry throughout the 20th century, from railroad dependence to trucking.” The APC
ER SKINE FO UNTA IN RESTOR AT ION U PD AT E Restoration continues on the 1896 Erskine Fountain — a community partnership to restore Atlanta’s oldest public fountain. The Friends of Erskine have restored and repaired the marble and mortar using marble slabs sourced from the same Georgia marble quarry as the original slabs. The APC is pleased to be a preservation partner in this community-led effort. 6 | WINTER 2020
Tech School of Architecture and APC board member and Greg Jacobs, Ellie Isaacs, and William Santiago of Landmark Preservation. The 3D scans and conditions assessment report will inform and guide the restoration and preservation plans for the historic gatehouse.
continues to attend community meetings and advocate for adaptive reuse at this historic site. Learn more about the development process at beltline.org.
Education & Programming
The 1955 Preston Arkwright School - located in the Venetian Hills Neighborhood of Southwest Atlanta is now in the process of a renaissance. Closed since 2004, today, Richard Dunn, Jay Jackson, and others are leading redevelopment efforts to adaptively repurpose this historic school into a new dynamic content production studio and development incubator: RYSE Creative Village.
Organizational Update
Advocacy
ADAP TIVE REUSE AT THE 1955 AR KWRIGHT ELEMENTA RY S CHO OL
DR EW AC ADEMY ST E A M C AR EER D AY The Atlanta Preservation Center joined Atlanta’s Drew Charter School for STEAM Career Day on Zoom. S.T.E.A.M. refers to the full integration of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math in a project-based learning environment. The APC was joined by Greg Jacobs of Landmark Preservation and Professor Danielle Willkens of the Georgia Tech School of Architecture & APC Board Member. The Atlanta Preservation Center is participating in the next STEAM Workshop Day in March and will be utilizing our partnerships to increase the participation opportunities for the students.
V I RT U AL PR O G R A M S From March through May, the APC presented 9 virtual programs live on Zoom, including virtual tours of South Downtown, Summerhill, and the Plaza Theatre. Find all of the APC virtual programs online anytime at www.vimeo.com/ preserveatlanta. The APC is grateful for all of our preservation and community partners that have supported these virtual programs.
PI ED MON T HEIG HTS V I RT UAL TO UR In October, the Atlanta Preservation Center joined the Piedmont Heights Civic Association for a virtual tour of this historic neighborhood along with Easements Atlanta, Inc., the Atlanta History Center and the Atlanta School of Photography. Watch the virtual tour anytime at youtu.be/68JDMPB_CGE.
C OLL AB OR AT ION W I T H T H E UN I VER SI T Y OF G EOR G I A EN G LI SH DEPARTM EN T In October, the Atlanta Preservation Center was fortunate to share its space for research with Dr. Barbara McCaskill, Professor of English, and Sidonia Serafini, a doctoral candidate in the UGA English Department. Dr. McCaskill and Ms. Serafini examined and documented nineteenth-century primary sources and material artifacts from Bibb/Jones County, Georgia.
M EET T H E N EW EST M EM BER S OF T H E AT L AN TA PR ESERVAT ION CEN T ER B OAR D OF T R UST EES. JENNIFER BALL is the Vice President of Planning and Economic Development for Central Atlanta Progress, Inc. (CAP) where she directs land use and transportation planning efforts, economic development initiatives and implementation projects within Downtown Atlanta. The APC has worked closely with Jennifer Ball and and CAP throughout the years on a number of exciting Downtown Atlanta projects. Jennifer received a Bachelor of Science degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology College of Architecture and a Master of City Planning degree also from Georgia Tech. GRANT MOSELEY, AIA, is the President and a founding principal of MSTSD, a
national leader in the design of place-making environments in retail, office, museums, multi-family, and medical offices. Grant also serves on the board of Easements Atlanta, Inc. and received his Bachelor of Architecture from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1975 and participated in the study abroad program at the University of Rome, Italy in 1974. He is an active member of American Institute of Architects, National Association of Industrial and Office Properties, and the Urban Land Institute. DANIELLE S. WILLKENS, PHD, is an Assistant Professor in the School of Architecture at the Georgia Institute of Technology and is a practicing designer,
researcher, and educator who is particularly interested in bringing architectural engagement to diverse audiences through interactive projects. Danielle has recently collaborated with the APC with 3D LiDar scans, UAV photogrammetry, and digital modeling more. Danielle received a B.S. in Architectural Design and Architectural History from the University of Virginia, a Master of Philosophy in History of Art and Architecture from Cambridge University, a Master of Architecture from the University of Virginia, a Graduate Certificate in Historic Preservation from the Savannah College of Art and Design, and a PhD in Architectural History & Theory from the Bartlett School of Architecture at University College in London.
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THE ATLANTA PRESERVATION CENTER 327 St. Paul Avenue SE, Atlanta GA 30312-3129 404.688.3353 • atlantapreservationcenter.com
Share your experiences on social media with #PreserveATL and tag us on Instagram @preserveatl As this year comes to a close, consider donating to the Atlanta Preservation Center. Scan the QR code here to take you directly to our donation page.
LE ADER SHIP TR ANSITION The Atlanta Preservation Center recently announced David Yoakley Mitchell as its new Executive Director. He follows F.H. Boyd Coons, who led the organization for over 20 years. David looks forward to building upon the work Boyd accomplished and wants to expand the role of advocacy to grow the appreciation of our cities cultural resources and neighborhood identities. Under Boyd’s leadership, APC purchased and restored the historic Grant Mansion, which the late historian
Franklin Garrett deemed “Atlanta’s most historic building.” It serves as the organization’s headquarters today. “I want to thank all of our supporters, members and partners, who have been so supportive of our mission during my time here,” said Boyd. “David has the experience, energy and vision to guide the Atlanta Preservation Center as it enters its fourth decade. He understands the challenges and the opportunities.”
Executive Director David Y. Mitchell and past Executive Director F.H. Boyd Coons on the front porch of the Grant Mansion.
CH EF ’S M A RK ET AND HA R D HAT TO U R AT PR AT T -P U LL M AN YA R D In October, the APC partnered with Pratt-Pullman District for a weekend open-air, socially distanced event. Ticket sales benefited the Atlanta Preservation Center. Continue to follow the APC on social media and PrattPullman District for future events.
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