Bad decision: GSU still plans to tear down 148 Edgewood

Georgia State University, it’s in your own best interest to save 148 Edgewood.

An urban university, such as Georgia State, must contribute to the historic fabric of our city — not destroy it.

Preservationists, civil rights leaders, business organizations, civic leaders, GSU alumni (me included) and Downtown advocates have all been urging Georgia State to reconsider its flawed decision to demolish 148 Edgewood. Even a change.org petition — signed by 1,584 people as of press time — is actively working to save the building.

The architecturally attractive structure was built in 1926 as a Georgia Power substation. Since 1989, it has been a contributing structure to the City of Atlanta’s Martin Luther King Jr. Landmark District, and in 1992, it was included in the national Martin Luther King Jr. Preservation District. 

Tearing down the building would tear down our history.

“Every building counts in a historic preservation district,” said Reginald Chapple, superintendent of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park. “The more fabric that is lost makes it harder to see the story the built environment tells us about our shared past.”

In fact, some preservationists are concerned that if GSU proceeds with its plans to tear down 148, Atlanta could lose its MLK historic district designation because so many structures have already been demolished.

So far, all the pleas to save the building appear to have fallen on deaf ears, leading some to say that GSU is tone deaf. Despite GSU’s decision, preservationists and urban leaders have said they will not stop fighting to save 148. If anything, people are even more committed to saving the building.

As a proud recipient of a master’s in urban studies from GSU’s College of Urban Life (now the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies), I am holding out hope that the university will put a pause on the decision to demolish 148 Edgewood so a solution can be found. I don’t want GSU to experience the inevitable backlash it will receive if it proceeds on this dangerous path.

I do have to commend GSU administrators for meeting with me in person on Aug. 8 at 100 Auburn, a building that is a stone’s throw from 148 Edgewood. Despite knowing how I felt about the building, four GSU leaders were willing to meet with me and answer my pointed questions.

After our one-hour-plus meeting, I became convinced a solution exists to satisfy GSU’s needs while saving 148 Edgewood.

Jared Abramson, GSU’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, began the meeting by saying the university “constantly and consistently” demonstrated that it will preserve buildings when it makes sense.

Because the building is only 9,000 square feet, Abramson said “it doesn’t make sense” to preserve 148 Edgewood. Instead, the university is planning to tear it down to create a plaza that will honor the 30 fraternities and sororities on campus and add public green space to the area.

Two points. 

First, just west of 148 Edgewood are two parking lots, one owned by the university and one by a private landowner who doesn’t want to sell, according to Abramson. Both lots — as well as asphalt just north of both parking lots — would provide enough land for a plaza honoring GSU’s fraternities and sororities.

Second, GSU initially had a plan to preserve the building and turn it into the Fraternities and Sororities Life Center. GSU, which has owned the building since 1966, said 148 Edgewood was “worthy of long-term preservation and investment.” The 2014 Campus Historic Preservation Plan also said the building was “highly valued by the institution” and could be “adaptively used to meet the Institute’s educational mission.”

Michael Sanseviro, GSU’s vice president for student engagement and programs who joined our meeting virtually, defended the decision to tear down the building. He said GSU was unable to find the money needed to renovate the building for a Fraternities and Sororities Life Center.

“For two solid years, we worked really hard to make that happen,” said Sanseviro, who said the project didn’t qualify for funding from the Georgia Board of Regents. He primarily tried to raise money through the alumni chapters of the 30 fraternities and sororities. “We didn’t have anywhere near the financial commitment. It would have cost $50,000 to just get a design plan done.”

I followed up by asking if GSU had sought advice and possible funding from the preservation community, including possible developers and organizations interested in saving the building. Sanseviro said he was not aware of any efforts.

Abramson, however, acknowledged there was a plan to renovate 148 Edgewood, adding that the project was estimated to be nearly $12 million.

“We did design a space that would have been functional,” Abramson said of that plan. “We did figure out a way to make it functional.”

James Wilson, president of GSU’s student body, echoed the administration’s desire to build the plaza.

“I think it would create a predictable experience if this plaza were created,” Wilson said. “I think it really makes sense for us. Every urban university in Atlanta needs to be more green.”

For the rest of our meeting, I focused on possible solutions to save 148 Edgewood (by reviving the original plans to turn the building into a Fraternities and Sororities Life Center) and create the plaza with markers honoring GSU’s Greek life.

After our meeting, I walked the site to consider alternative plans — becoming more convinced that we can find a solution where everyone wins ­— preservationists, Sweet Auburn, the greater King district, Downtown, students and, most importantly, Georgia State University.

I immediately called Gene Kansas, a historic preservation developer who has restored two buildings on Auburn Avenue just north of 148 Edgewood and only a block or two east of GSU’s 100 Auburn Centennial Hall Building, the former Atlanta Life headquarters.

“It is my hope that Georgia State would be open to continuing to explore creative opportunities to save 148 Edgewood, a building that is core to the cultural and historic fabric of this neighborhood,” said Kansas, who also is the author of Civil Sights, a book dedicated to the preservation and reimagination of Sweet Auburn, which he called a national treasure. 

Kansas, who is a fan of Georgia State University and its contributions to Downtown, said he would be happy to meet with GSU officials to come up with creative solutions that would preserve 148 Edgewood.

“Unless there are some issues with the building that I don’t know about, I think it’s possible to find success through creative problem solving,” Kansas said. “There are ideas out there.”

Note to readers: When I requested a meeting, I did disclose that I’ve been a preservationist for as long as I can remember. When I was a summer intern for Creative Loafing in 1974, I advocated for and reported on efforts to “Save the Fox” theatre. There’s even WSB footage of me as an 18-year-old handing out fliers to people driving down Peachtree in front of the Fox. That story had a happy ending. I hope the same will be true for 148 Edgewood.