Heated public hearing leaves fate of 148 Edgewood building unclear

A May 28 public hearing on the planned demolition of Atlanta’s historic 148 Edgewood Ave. building turned sour when preservationists and project leaders clashed over the Georgia State University park project — and what it might mean for the Martin Luther King Jr. Historic District.

In early May, Georgia State University announced plans to tear down the building at 148 Edgewood Ave. to create the “Fraternity and Sorority Life Plaza” as a dedicated greenspace for the school’s Greek life. It would feature a grassy lawn, walkway and bench areas dedicated to the councils that govern university Greek organizations. It’s part of a plan to remake the campus into a true collegiate hub.

The announcement sent preservationists into an uproar. 148 Edgewood Ave. was built by Georgia Power around 1926 as a facade for neighborhood electrical supply equipment. It’s noted for industrial architecture, including high ceilings, heavy materials and about 8,800 square feet of space. 

In 1989, it was added as a contributing structure to the Martin Luther King, Jr. District. In 1992, it was included in the National MLK Jr. Preservation District. Georgia State University has owned the building since 1966. In 2014, the school’s Campus Historic Preservation Plan found the property is “worthy of long-term preservation and investment.” 

“This undermines the district that was established,” Atlanta Preservation Center Executive Director David Mitchell said. 

Now, it’s on the 2025 “Places in Peril” list from the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation. The designation raises awareness of Georgia’s historic buildings that are at risk for demolition.

Since the university owns the building, it’s exempt from historic protections that would keep it from getting torn down. Governor Brian Kemp also recently signed an executive order to authorize the demolition. But preservationists are sounding the alarm. So far, Mitchell said 47 percent of the national register in the area has been lost. Tearing down a contributing structure could threaten the status of the entire district. 

In a public statement, District 5 Atlanta City Councilmember Liliana Bakhtiari said the demolition would “irreparably harm the integrity of the Landmark district” and undermine efforts to create a historically aware Atlanta.

“This building is more than brick and mortar; it is a piece of living history located in a district that bears the name of one of our nation’s most revered moral leaders,” Bakhtiari said in the statement. “148 Edgewood Ave. embodies the cultural and civic legacy that continues to inspire our pursuit of justice and equity.”

But at the May 28 hearing, the crowd split into two impassioned sides. Georgia State University Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer L. Jared Abramson set up a series of posterboards detailing the project. He opened the public hearing, but the conversation quickly derailed into arguments and shouting.

A host of alumni, students, professors, community members, officials and preservationists took to the room in Centennial Hall to demand a stop to the plan. 

“Show some innovation and creativity,” one man demanded. 

But Kameron Wells, a recent Georgia State University graduate and member of one of the “Divine Nine” historically Black Greek-letter organizations, Phi Beta Sigma, took the floor to defend the project. 

“We, as the Divine Nine, have been asking for a space for us to congregate and have an open space for years,” Wells said. 

Wells had no involvement with the project. He said the public hearing was posted on social media, and he decided to come show his support. So did dozens of other “Divine Nine” members. But Wells quickly began to answer questions from the crowd, ranging from environmental study questions to adaptive reuse possibilities. 

“The opportunities that this park will open up for the community will give us a cultural space to have,” Wells said. 

Previously, the Divine Nine students had rented out Greek rooms. But Wells said the rooms had to be taken down — other students blamed rising rental rates for pushing the organizations out of the space. Now, they have nowhere to go. 

The university said it would cost too much money to renovate the building into a space for the Divine Nine. Instead, it offered up an “homage” to the college Greek life, with shields of each organization chartered at Georgia State arranged, in chronological order, around the image of the building facade. 

For many of the Divine Nine students, it would be the first permanent place for them to congregate and be recognized. Wells stressed the importance of having a visible and public presence on the campus. 

But Atlanta Preservation Center representatives don’t believe the building is too difficult to adaptively reuse. Communications Coordinator Mary Budwick asked Wells about reuse options at the hearing. 

“Do you think you guys would benefit more from, let’s be honest, a patch of grass or a little park?” Budwick asked. “Or do you think figuring out a way that we can use that building that houses the Black legacy of Atlanta in a lot of ways to create space…. Do you think that would get more use?”

Wells said he would prefer visibility that’s available to everyone, not just Divine Nine members and students with access to campus buildings. The meeting didn’t end in a consensus, but the university must review the public comments submitted at the hearing and online. 

APC Executive Director Mitchell said he doesn’t think the meeting fulfilled the public hearing requirement. He called it a “presentation” instead of a dialogue. 

But Mitchell said he feels good about the turnout. Now, he and a host of preservationists are encouraging people to stay engaged. Some said they would email the Governor. For Mitchell, the fight isn’t over. 

“Atlanta Preservation Center will continue to work any way we can with GSU facilities to preserve 148 Edgewood and find a way to utilize that structure to both benefit the Divine Nine Greek chapters,” Mitchell said. “And to do that through the inclusion of this historic building.”