“The worse the problem, the more likely that I’m sitting in the chair.” This is the approach of Wingate Companies Senior Vice President John Tatum. And now, he’s in the chair at Atlanta’s Trestletree Village Section 8 Community, steps from the Beltline trail. Wingate, a national real estate and development firm focused on affordable housing, […]
Tag: Atlanta
Posted inMedia, Stories of Atlanta
This should come as no surprise to anyone.
If you had to pick just one occupation that people throughout the ages would recognize as a job, what would you pick? Yeah, us too. This week’s story is about those who work for a living. More accurately, it’s about those who worked for a living in 19th century Atlanta. This topic came about quite […]
Posted inLatest News
Should Atlanta turn off water for $236 million in unpaid bills? Mayor Dickens says it’s a ‘tough decision.’
Atlanta’s recent watershed audit revealed a bombshell statistic: A quarter of the city’s customers have unpaid balances, totaling more than $236 million in bills owed to Atlanta. You might recognize some of the high-profile culprits. The audit caused uproar among the city council. City Council Utilities Committee Chair Dustin Hills was notably upset at the […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Invest Atlanta greenlights $15 million tax break for Amsterdam Walk
On Thursday, the Invest Atlanta board of directors greenlit a bond resolution that will give a nearly $15 million tax break to Portman Holding’s controversial Amsterdam Walk redevelopment. According to Invest Atlanta Senior Vice President of Community Development Phil Perkins, the developers will only pay $39 million in taxes for the first 10 years, compared […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Arts Capital Atlanta launches inaugural $1 million arts organization fund
Arts Capital Atlanta will soon distribute more than $1 million to Metro Atlanta arts organizations in an effort to strengthen the region’s creative ecosystem. It’s the first year Arts Capital Atlanta will give out unrestricted funds to arts organizations; the Metro Atlanta nonprofit brings together organizations, funders and partners to research, raise and distribute funds. […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
Shave and a Future…
In the deeply segregated American South of the 19th century, one profession offered Black men a surprising path toward independence, prosperity, and even wealth. The opportunity existed, ironically, because of the very racial attitudes that otherwise worked against them. And succeeding required more than just skill with a razor. It meant learning how to navigate […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Yan Karaoke aims to settle local conflicts ahead of opening date
Yan Karaoke is on track to open its 15,000-square-foot Reynoldstown hub by this holiday season, and the bar’s team says the neighborhood conflicts have been resolved ahead of opening night. The project drew attention from neighborhood leaders and historic preservation advocates this summer, when renderings for the bar design at the Atlanta Dairies became available. […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr, Latest News
Beltline is back on board with rail. Will a councilmember’s plan keep it on track?
The Atlanta Beltline is officially back on board with light rail, and Atlanta District 2 City Councilmember Kelsea Bond has a plan to keep the project on track. On Sept. 8, Bond introduced a resolution to “affirm the Atlanta City Council’s commitment to and support for Beltline rail.” If passed, it will create an accountability […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
Banking in the Round: Atlanta’s C&S Tower
In the late 1960s, Atlanta’s Citizens and Southern Bank left its longtime downtown headquarters for a striking new circular tower in Midtown. Designed by Atlanta architect Richard Aeck and inspired by a revolutionary Frank Lloyd Wright concept, the new C&S building was anything but conventional. Its unusual construction solved a very practical problem for the […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
ARC unveils first-ever regional housing strategy
It’s been a long time in the making. After years dedicated to economic development and housing solutions, the Atlanta Regional Commission has unveiled Housing Forward 2035, “The Strategy.” The regional housing strategy will guide the 11-county planning commission through its approach to affordable and accessible housing in a rapidly changing region. ARC leaders presented an […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
Who Brought the Crowds Out?
What does it take to bring Atlantans out by the thousands? Sometimes the answer is obvious. A famous face, a historic occasion, a celebration, or simply the chance to witness something you may never see again. Over the years, Atlanta has produced some remarkable crowds, gathering for reasons that ranged from the deeply emotional to […]
Posted inColumns, Delaney Tarr
The quest to restore ‘Riverbend,’ an iconic piece of long-lost Black cinema
For Michael J. Dennis, the quest to restore “Riverbend” started with a simple goal: Keep the long-lost relic of Black cinema from ever disappearing again. Weeks ago, he succeeded. At the Aug. 15 Atlanta premiere of “Riverbend” at the Plaza Theatre, Reelblack Renaissance released the 6k film restoration on Blu-ray — it’s now available for […]
Posted inMedia, Stories of Atlanta
Not to his liking
The pendulum of opinion swings freely when it comes to the question of form following function. It isn’t necessary to get into that debate here. I bring it up only to offer that, sometimes, it doesn’t matter where one stands on the question…form then function or function then form. Often, it’s the person paying the […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Developers, designers ask: Can Atlanta be a design city?
Maria Saporta finished the Atlanta Design Roundtable on Aug. 13 with a clear takeaway: “Good design has to come from the heart.” It’s the core of civic nonprofit Atlanta Way 2.0’s design roundtable series. Hosted by nonprofit and SaportaReport founder Maria Saporta, each event asks how Atlanta can become a city known for “good design.” […]
Posted inColumns
The Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and Resilience hosts “Climate Resilient ATL” advisory board meeting
The City of Atlanta’s Office of Sustainability and Resilience (OSR) held an advisory board meeting on Aug. 18 with residents and local officials, including the city’s Chief Sustainability Officer Chandra Farley. With climate change impacting flooding in the city and major climate events becoming more frequent, local board meetings like this have become more important. […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
A Penny Saved
Joe Jacobs is a name familiar to most aficionados of the City of Atlanta. He is known because he was the owner of the pharmacy that sold the very first glass of Coca-Cola, ever…anywhere. His store was located at 5-Points. There is a plaque commemorating Jacobs’ role in the history of our hometown beverage, a […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
MARTA sticks with Jonathan Hunt as permanent CEO
MARTA’s interim leader Jonathan Hunt will be the next permanent CEO. On Aug. 13, the MARTA board of directors announced Hunt would permanently take on the transit agency’s top job after a lengthy search. The finalists were announced four days ago; he beat out Cleveland Ferguson III from the Jacksonville Transportation Authority and Leroy Jones from […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
Undeveloped Acreage
G.W. Collier was one of those Atlantans who arrived just as the ground itself was beginning to whisper opportunity. When he first came to the region, there was little more than wilderness, wagon ruts, and the faint outlines of a future not yet agreed upon. By the time Marthasville took on the name Atlanta, Collier […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Anonymous account uses art to fill holes and create a rallying cry: ‘Fix ATL’
Fix-ATL means two things. First, it’s a handle for an anonymous social media account covering sidewalk holes across the city. Second, it’s a call to action to fix the city of Atlanta. And it all began as an art project. Editor’s note: The person behind the Fix-ATL social media account wished to remain anonymous for […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
The streetcar that almost wasn’t
Most people assume Atlanta’s first street railway began with rails and horses. It didn’t…It began with an idea. Just one year after the Civil War ended, while Atlanta was still clearing away the wreckage of war, a handful of visionary citizens convinced the Georgia legislature to charter a street railway company. It was a bold […]
