On Wednesday, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp vetoed 12 state bills before the signing deadline, including HB 376, a bill that would have expanded tax incentives for historic property preservation. The bill, passed in the House and Senate, would have increased the limit on the available tax credits from $30 million to $60 million. It was […]
Tag: historic preservation
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Fox Theater gives $1 million to Rome, Thomasville for theater restoration
In the 1970s, Atlanta rallied around a campaign to “Save the Fox Theater” from imminent destruction. It rescued the building, preserving an iconic piece of the city’s landscape and a hub for the arts. Now the theater wants to pay it back. On May 6, National Historic Preservation Month, Fox Gives awarded $1 million in […]
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Georgia Works makes its new home in the restored Odd Fellows building
Georgia Works reached a major milestone on April 1 when Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens attended the ribbon-cutting celebration of the nonprofit’s new home in the Odd Fellows building on Auburn Avenue. Georgia Works is dedicated to breaking the cycle of homelessness and criminal recidivism by offering housing and employment to […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Egleston Hall makes 2026 ‘Places in Peril’ list
On Feb. 25, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation released its 2026 ‘Places in Peril’ list for significant historic properties at risk of demolition or neglect – and Egleston Hall has made the list. It’s a hot topic among preservationists because All Saints’ Episcopal Church is considering a plan that could demolish the 1918 Gothic Revival […]
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Plan threatens Egleston Hall; panics preservationists
“Traditionally, the outcome is the juice ain’t worth the squeeze.” David Y. Mitchell, the Executive Director of the Atlanta Preservation Center, has done this before. His signature is battles for historic preservation — the Atlanta Constitution Building, Gaines Hall, 148 Edgewood Ave. — trying to save the city’s oldest buildings before they get torn down. […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr, Latest News
Iconic ‘Yellow Store’ rehab and restoration is underway
A $4.1 million project to turn English Avenue’s iconic and fraught “Yellow Store” into a “community hub” is under construction, as the Westside Future Fund leads the revitalization of the depopulated and disinvested English Avenue neighborhood. It is a major project on a key property in the Westside Land Use Framework Plan, the fund’s guiding […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Prince Hall Masonic Lodge reopens after $10 million makeover
The “Jewel of Auburn Avenue” is officially open for business. On Feb. 11, local leaders held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on the renovated historic Prince Hall Masonic Lodge and Temple after a years-long $10 million makeover. Now, the 16,000 square foot multi-use space is officially part of the Martin Luther King. Jr. National Historic Park. It […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Georgia history groups announce yearlong programming for America’s 250th anniversary
Two well-known history organizations in Georgia are ringing in America’s 250th anniversary since the signing of the Declaration of Independence with a host of activations, events and resources on local and national history. Locally, the Atlanta History Center announced a major highlight: The Buckhead Center will be one of eight locations in the country to […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Invest Atlanta gives local nonprofit $60,000 for emergency repairs to historic church
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 […]
Posted inMaria's Metro
Historic Georgia Baptist Hospital is now rubble
Three men walked into a meeting — a preservationist, a developer and the head of a demolition company. The topic was the historic Georgia Baptist property, which is being redeveloped by the Integral Group. We met in the offices of Barry Roberts, founder and an executive of Atlanta Demolition, which is clearing the site of […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Invest Atlanta gives another $1 million to keep Gaines Hall stable
Invest Atlanta approved another $1 million for the ongoing stabilization of historic Gaines Hall at its Sept. 18 board meeting, and officials said the struggling building is on track to be steady by 2027. Gaines Hall, built in 1869, was the first permanent building on the Atlanta University campus, now Clark Atlanta University. It was […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Georgia Trust gives $20,000 to St. Mark AME Church preservation
The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation joined the push for preservation on the city’s Westside on July 28 when CEO W. Wright Mitchell presented $20,000 to the old St. Mark AME Church in his most personal conservation push yet. It marked the inaugural Wade and Mary Lu Mitchell African American Heritage Preservation Grant, created by […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Emory plans to rehab Midtown property into hospital apartments
Emory University aims to turn the historic 477 Peachtree Street and 489 Peachtree Street buildings into more than 50 rental apartments for Emory Healthcare staff, transforming the former homeless shelter into hospital-exclusive housing. Once completed, the project will support rental units reserved for hospital staff within certain salary levels, like nurses and medical technicians. “This […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
City kicks off abandoned Atlanta Constitution building redo
On June 6 Mayor Andre Dickens and Invest Atlanta kicked off renovations on the latest neglected Downtown Atlanta site — the long-abandoned former Atlanta Constitution building. The $40.6 million dollar transformation will turn the historic building into “Folio House,” a combination of affordable housing and commercial space. It’s part of the city’s ongoing effort to revitalize […]
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Save 148 Edgewood for history’s sake
It happened once before. It can happen again. Georgia State University announced plans in 2014 to tear down the historic Bell buildings on its campus as part of its master plan to transform the area east of Woodruff Park. The plans called for turning the site along Auburn Avenue into a surface parking lot. But […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
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 […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Oakland Cemetery unveils new accessible Visitor Center
Atlanta’s oldest public park just expanded its footprint by 10,000 square feet with a new and long-awaited visitor center just outside the Oakland Cemetery gates. Mayor Andre Dickens joined with cemetery staff and volunteers to officially open the facility at an April 3 ribbon-cutting ceremony, where he called Oakland “one of the liveliest cemeteries in […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Historic Edgewood Avenue building set for demolition makes ‘Places in Peril’ list
A nearly century-old building on Edgewood Avenue set for demolition, and a Duluth railway museum struggling to stay afloat are two of 10 “Places in Peril” on the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation’s 2025 list of endangered historic sites. The 2025 list announced on Feb. 26 aims to push historic spots threatened by demolition, neglect, […]
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An oral history of Sweet Auburn’s John Lewis mural, from a living legend to a new Atlanta landmark
Intended to honor an Atlanta icon, the John Lewis “Hero” mural in Sweet Auburn has itself become iconic. Though only 11 years old, the artwork is well on its way to becoming a historic Atlanta landmark, with plans in the works to refresh its paint and construct a park at its base. As often happens […]
Posted inLatest News
MARTA seeks public comment on history-focused review of Five Points Station project impacts
MARTA is seeking public input on a history-focused environmental review of its Five Points Station makeover, a $206 million project that previously stirred controversy about timing and design. While the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review covers a broad range of potential impacts, it is focused on mitigations for destroying the canopy and plaza of the […]
