On Dec. 18, the Invest Atlanta board sent $60,000 in funds from the Westside TAD to help stabilize the historic ruins of the old St. Mark Church and prevent the stone walls from collapsing.
According to Invest Atlanta documents, the funds will pay for critical “wall capping,” drainage improvements and temporary shoring. All are required to protect the existing structure before preservationists can move into adaptive reuse.
“We’re really excited to be in a position to provide assistance here to this important landmark,” Invest Atlanta Community Development Vice President Phil Perkins said.
In July, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation’s W. Wright Mitchell used the inaugural Wade and Mary Lu Mitchell African American Preservation Grant to pay for $20,000 in urgent repairs to the structure. The money paid for stainless steel stitching in mortar joints and more to keep the southeast corner standing.
Property owner Pastor Winston Taylor, who runs The Beloved Community Inc. partnered with Atlanta Preservation Center to do the structural work, but the team hit a recent roadblock.
“While doing this work, they discovered there was more severe damage located at the southeast corner of the structure,” Perkins explained.
Atlanta Preservation Center Executive Director David Y. Mitchell said the $60,000 in additional funds will cover the stabilization.
“The ability to have funding support the value of both the building and the space is a big deal,” Mitchell said.
Today, the church building is made of four stone walls and a grassy expanse inside, with no roof or internal structures. But the original building was created in 1920 as the Western Heights Baptist Church with granite from Stone Mountain, GA.
It gained significance when the St. Mark AME Church moved into the space in 1948 and became a center for the area’s African American community. The congregation stayed until 1976, but after they left, the building sat vacant for decades.
Pastor Taylor bought up the property in the 1990s. Though the property is no longer affiliated with St. Mark AME Church, Taylor has led efforts to restore the walls back to its bustling clergy days.
So far, incremental and volunteer-led efforts have kept it from collapsing entirely. With the combined $20,000 grant and $60,000 Invest Atlanta funds, the preservation team can move forward with adaptive reuse.
Mitchell said after the building is stabilized, he can work on “development of the greater master plan for the reactivation of the space.”
Once stabilized, Pastor Taylor plans to make the greenspace a community hub once again. He’s already working on a 2026 summer school program where kids can put on theatrical performances on the green.
In the meantime, Taylor, Mitchell and the team of volunteers are working to stabilize and beautify the historic, airy space — now with the help of Atlanta’s economic development agency.
“[The grant] affirms that our commitment to securing support for historic preservation is not limited to a small group,” Mitchell said. “It is a growing community that values Atlanta’s architectural diversity and contributing structures that make us unparalleled.”
