The built environment of Auburn Avenue has remained more or less the same throughout its long history. There are indeed new introductions to the street. Georgia State University being the prime example. Although some minor changes will come as the University expands its downtown footprint, the decisions of Sweet Auburn itself, however, still stand responsible as to how it wishes itself to be viewed; both within and outside of its bounds. Auburn Avenue became what it was through politics. It is what it is today through the same politics. The Street is constantly changing, reshaping itself and redefining its presence, all due to the influence of politics. The decisions Sweet Auburn made throughout the years is seen through it’s built environment, as I have mentioned previously in the political reflection of the street. The different choices have all lead to the look of Auburn Avenue today, from its preservation of history to its continuation of heritages.

Everything about Auburn Avenue screams historical significance, so much so that an argument can be made that it is the very preservation of said history that has caused the exponential declination of the street. Sweet Auburn, in no way, represent its former glory; rather, Auburn Avenue finds itself stuck in-between times.

A street with so much history embedded with feelings of hundreds of thousands, it comes to no surprise the extent to which Sweet Auburn goes through to further prolong its historical heritage. The old buildings that appear all along the street, those still in use, as well as those abandoned, all serve in creating the Avenue’s historic façade. The appearance of these buildings brings along a very out of time and out of place kind of feel. When you are walking along the street, especially so towards the undeveloped latter half, it seems as if you have taken a step back in time. Was this to be done in moderation, it would have added a special taste to the street, but so obsessed is the street in the preservation of its historical heritage, that it has, instead of a trampoline to further propel and set the street apart from others, created for itself an anchor in the sea of time. So heavy is that anchor, however, that the Avenue has begun to sink.

Officials, like Councilman Kwanza Hall, have just recently started looking towards revitalizing the street through a series of new renovation. As Councilman Hall stated in his interview with CNN, he knows that there is a “very rich treasure in terms of African-American history” (Sweet Auburn Avenue: Buildings Tell Their Story). He wishes to preserve some of the streets façades. Councilman Hall himself spoke of the implications of moving multiple boards onto the project of Sweet Auburn’s revitalization, as conflicts arise with differing goals. New renovations and buildings may be denied due to implicating some historic building or an area under review may have, attached to it, historical importance and therefore any and all ideas about that particular area are scrapped. Both residents and businesses alike, look towards the ever increasingly empty street and although they sympathize with historical preservation, they also believe that it should in no way impede on progress.

Auburn Avenue’s persistence on the preservation of its historical heritage further illustrates the importance of history on the fabric of Sweet Auburn’s life. With so much protection and the abundance of historical buildings, the built environment of Auburn Avenue reflects its history and looks the way it does today due to its decision concerning the preservation of historical buildings.

When Auburn Avenue is brought up in conversation, the Civil Rights Movement is never far behind. The street gets such an association by right, as influential leaders who came to be the spearhead of the movement were, for the most part, borne on the Avenue. Leaders such as John Dobbs and Martin Luther King are but two prime examples. The Civil Rights Movement can be seen in celebration as it leaves its distinct mark all across the street of its upbringing.

Two impressive structures stand testament to the notion of the impact the Civil Rights Movement had on Sweet Auburn’s built environment. The first being the statue of John Dobbs, located at the John Wesley Dobbs Plaza. John Dobbs was a strong advocate and fighter for the civil liberties as he dedicated his whole life to the advancement of African American standing upon white American society. Dobbs preached the importance of suffrage as the “key to racial advancement” (John Wesley Dobbs) and encouraged thousands of black Americans to register. Due to his insistence on the importance of voting, the African American helped won Hartsfield his seat as Mayor of Atlanta, resulting in two major victories for the community. Through extensive work on Dobbs part, he got Mayor Hartsfield to fulfill the desegregation of the police force (despite being very limited in scope), as well as the installation of street lamps on the Avenue. Through politics, the built environment of Sweet Auburn took on change as new infrastructure found itself amongst the scenery. The statue of John Dobbs head further illustrates the streets commitment and sentiments towards those days of civil rights and demonstrates the role the movement had on the present physicality of the street.

Martin Luther King Jr also places his names on the annals of Sweet Auburn history, as his Historical Center, the King Center has brought national acclaim worldwide, boasting visitors from all over the world. Martin Luther King Jr. has become a common household name, one that has been associated deeply with the civil rights movement. Dr. King, like his predecessor, John Dobbs, fought for civil liberties of all humankind through non-violent means, his involvement help brought the issue onto a national level, and his achievements in the field of civil rights have rocked the modern world. His historic center stands representation of everything King, which in turn means it stood for everything civil rights. Taking into account the prominent position the center holds on the street, its constant care and promotion, there is little left to the imagination on the magnitude of its importance on the built environment.

Established by Mrs. Coretta Scott King in 1968, the King Historic Center still stands to this day as a beacon for the ongoing fight for civil liberties. Put up to change, the center will undergo modifications in its presentation so as to become a more “energetically-engaged educational and social change institution.” (About The King Center) The aspiration to fit into modern societal context further emphasizes the importance of the civil rights movement on Auburn Avenues image.

The center, alongside the statue of John Dobbs, gives credence to the notion that the streets built environment came about due to its heavily enforced history and political affiliations of days past. The statue stands to watch over the street, as the King Center preserves the historic movement through its leader, bearing testament the progress made by African-Americans, and all Americans alike, in the fields of liberty and justice.

People tend to believe that the environment shapes the individual, in this scenario, the built environment would then act as the mold in which the area finds itself. This is not true, rather, it is within the decisions an individual makes that shapes his or her outcome. The decisions of Auburn Avenue, or “Sweet Auburn,” can be seen in its built environment. Originally a white-owned commercial district called “Wheat Street,” renamed in 1893 to Auburn Avenue, Sweet Auburn (coined by John Dobbs) finds itself just miles away from bustling downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The built environment of Auburn Avenue looks the way it does today due to its decisions regarding its long history of segregation and its cultural representation of Civil Rights.

As Jim Crow laws ran rampant throughout the South, particularly in Georgia, African Americans were left to little choice in decisions on where to live. Jim Crow confounded the black American population in the parameters of Auburn Avenue. The beginnings of Sweet Auburn were bleak, yet the effects of its environment did not hinder its rise to success. Rather than wallowing in their powerlessness, the African American community banded together, and through their dedication, created a legacy that has resonated through the times; despites its exponential declination through the years.

The original built environment of Auburn Avenue was loaded with businesses left and right. Here are but some of the most iconic buildings, whose remnants remain to the present day; Atlanta Daily World, Atlanta Life Insurance, the Royal Peacock, and the famous Ebenezer Baptist Church. These buildings are of the few prominent structures that made up Sweet Auburn’s built environment, and although most of them are either torn down or long abandoned today, they still stand among others as components of the built environment.

Segregation, a political movement in its right, has shaped the street and its immediate area into what it is today. Despite the negative connotation that discrimination entails, there can be no denying its role in the creation of Auburn Avenue as its being contributed significantly to the overall development of The build environment. The projection of segregation in its built environment can still be seen today as the age-old buildings, including those mentioned above, stand testament to the atrocities and unfair treatments the street and its citizens faced as their existence came to be due to the implications of Jim Crow.

Part 1: Segregation of Auburn Avenue

People tend to believe that the environment shapes the individual, in this scenario, the built environment would then act as the mold in which the area finds itself. This is not true, rather, it is within the decisions an individual makes that shapes his or her outcome, translated to context, the decisions of Auburn Avenue, or “Sweet Auburn,” are reflected by its built environment. Originally a white-owned commercial district called “Wheat Street,” renamed in 1893 to Auburn Avenue, Sweet Auburn (coined by John Dobbs) is located just miles away from bustling downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The built environment of Auburn Avenue looks the way it does today due to its decisions regarding its long history of segregation and its cultural representation of Civil Rights.

As Jim Crow laws ran rampant throughout the South, particularly in Georgia, African Americans were left to little choice in decisions on where to live. Jim Crow confounded the black American population in the parameters of Auburn Avenue. The beginnings of Sweet Auburn were bleak, yet the effects of its environment did not hinder its rise to success. Rather than wallowing in their powerlessness, the African American community banded together, and through their decisions, created the legacy that still rings to this day, despites it’s exponential declination, as the once, most thriving black business district in the world.

The original built environment of Auburn Avenue was loaded with business left and right. Here are but some of the most iconic buildings, whose remnants remain to the present day; Atlanta Daily World, Atlanta Life Insurance, the Royal Peacock, and the famous Ebenezer Baptist Church. These buildings are of the few prominent structures that made up Sweet Auburn built environment, and although most of them are either torn down or long abandoned today, they still stand among others as components of the built environment.

Segregation, a political movement in its right, has shaped the street and its immediate area into what it is today. Despite the negative connotation that segregation entails, there can be no denying its role in the creation of Auburn Avenue, as its being contributed greatly to the overall development of The build environment. The projection of segregation in its built environment can still be seen today as the age-old buildings, including those mentioned above, stand testament to the atrocities and unfair treatments the street and its citizens faced, as their existence came to be due to the implications of Jim Crow.

Part 2: Civil Rights Movement

When Auburn Avenue is brought up in conversation, the Civil Rights Movement is never far behind, it may not be explicitly mentioned, but its presence is still ever-present. The street gets such an association by right, as influential leaders who came to be the spearhead of the movement were, for the most part, borne on the Avenue. Leaders such as John Dobbs and Martin Luther King are but two prime examples. The civil rights movement leaves its mark through not only equal right bills pass, but also through the built environment of Auburn Avenue.

Two blatant structures that lend a hand to the notion of civil rights impact on the built environment of Sweet Auburn are in memory of two great leaders of the movement. The first being the statue of John Dobbs, located at the John Wesley Dobbs Plaza. John Dobbs was a strong advocate and fighter for the civil liberties as he dedicated his whole life to the advancement of African American standing upon white American society. Dobbs preached the importance of suffrage as the “key to racial advancement” (John Wesley Dobbs) and encouraged thousands of black Americans to register. Due to his insistence on the importance of voting, the African American helped won Hartsfield his seat as Mayor of Atlanta, resulting in two major victories for the community. Through extensive work on Dobbs part, he got Mayor Hartsfield to fulfill the desegregation of the police force (despite being very limited in scope), as well as the installation of street lamps on the Avenue. Through politics, the built environment of Sweet Auburn took on change as new infrastructure was introduced. The statue of John Dobbs head then further illustrates the streets commitment and sentiments towards those days of civil rights and demonstrates the role the movement had on the present physicality of the street.

Martin Luther King Jr also places his names on the annals of Sweet Auburn history, as his Historic Center, the King Center has brought national acclaim worldwide, boasting visitors from all over the world. Martin Luther King Jr. has become a common household name, one that has been associated deeply with the civil rights movement. Dr. King, like his predecessor, John Dobbs, fought for civil liberties of all humankind through non-violent means, his involvement help brought the issue onto a national level, and his achievements in the field of civil liberties have rocked the modern world. His historic center stands representation of everything King, which in turn means it stood for everything civil rights. Taking into account the prominent position the center holds on the street, its constant care and promotion, there is little left to the imagination on the magnitude of its importance on the built environment.

Established by Mrs. Coretta Scott King in 1968, the King Historic Center still stands to this day as a beacon for the ongoing fight for civil liberties. Put up to change. The center will undergo modifications in its presentation so as to become a more “energetically-engaged educational and social change institution.” (About The King Center) The aspiration to fit into modern societal context further emphasizes the importance of the civil rights movement on Auburn Avenues image.

The center, alongside the statue of John Dobbs, gives credence to the notion that the streets built environment came about due to its heavily enforced history and political affiliations of days past. The statue stands watch over the street, as the King Center preserves the historic movement through its leader, bearing testament the progress made by African-Americans, and all Americans alike, in the fields of liberty and justice.

Part 3: Declination of the street due to its insistence on historical preservation

Everything about Auburn Avenue screams historical importance, so much so that an argument can be made that it is the very preservation of said history that has caused the exponential declination of the street. Sweet Auburn, in no way, represent its former glory, and rather than aging gracefully, Auburn Avenue seems to be stuck in between the times.

A street with so much history embedded with the feelings of hundreds of thousands, it comes to no surprise the extent to which Sweet Auburn goes through to further prolong its historical heritage. The old buildings that appear all along the street, those still in use, as well as those abandoned, all serve in creating the Avenue’s historic façade. The appearance of these buildings brings along a very out of time and out of place kind of feel. When you are walking along the street, especially so towards the undeveloped latter half, it seems as if you have taken a step back in time. In no ways, a bad thing was it in moderation, but so obsessed is the street in the preservation of such feelings, that it has, instead of a trampoline to further propel and set the street apart from others, created for itself an anchor in the sea of time. So heavy is that anchor, however, that the Avenue has begun to sink.

Officials, like Councilman Kwanza Hall, have just recently started looking towards revitalizing the street through a series of new renovation. As Councilman Hall stated in his interview with CNN, he knows that there is a “very rich treasure in terms of African-American history” (Sweet Auburn Avenue: Buildings Tell Their Story). He wishes to preserve some of the streets façades. Councilman Hall himself spoke of the implications of moving multiple boards onto the project of Sweet Auburn’s revitalization, as conflicts arise with differing goals. New renovations and buildings may be denied due to implicating some historic building or an area under review may have, attached to it, historical importance and therefore any and all ideas about that particular area are scrapped. Both residents and businesses alike, look towards the every increasingly empty street and although they sympathize with historical preservation, they also believe that it should in no way impede on progress.

Auburn Avenue’s persistence on the preservation of its historical heritage further illustrates the importance of history on the fabric of Sweet Auburn’s life. With so much protection and the abundance of historical buildings, the built environment of Auburn Avenue reflects its history and looks the way it does today due to its decision concerning the preservation of historical buildings.

Conclusion:

The built environment of Auburn Avenue has remained more or less the same throughout its long history. There are indeed new introductions as Georgia State University, situated near the Avenue, begin to expand its downtown footprint. The decisions of Sweet Auburn itself, however, still stand responsible as to how it wishes itself to be viewed, by both within and outside its bounds. Auburn Avenue became what it was through politics. It is what it is today through the same politics. The Street is constantly changing, reshaping itself and redefining its presence, all due to the influence of politics. The decisions Sweet Auburn made in regards to politics is seen through the built environment, as I have mentioned previously in the political reflection of the street. Same as politics, the different choices have all lead to the look of Auburn Avenue today, from its preservation of history to their continuation of certain heritages, such as the civil rights movement with its Historic King Center.

Part 1: Segregation of Auburn Avenue

People tend to believe that the environment shapes the individual, in this scenario, the built environment would then act as the mold in which the area finds itself. This is not true, rather, it is within the decisions an individual makes that shapes his or her outcome, translated to context, the decisions of Auburn Avenue, or “Sweet Auburn,” are reflected by its built environment. Originally a white-owned commercial district called “Wheat Street,” renamed in 1893 to Auburn Avenue, Sweet Auburn (coined by John Dobbs) is located just miles away from bustling downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The built environment of Auburn Avenue looks the way it does today due to its decisions regarding its long history of segregation and its cultural representation of Civil Rights.

As Jim Crow laws ran rampant throughout the South, particularly in Georgia, African Americans were left to little choice in decisions on where to live. Jim Crow confounded the black American population in the parameters of Auburn Avenue. The beginnings of Sweet Auburn were bleak, yet the effects of its environment did not hinder its rise to success. Rather than wallowing in their powerlessness, the African American community banded together, and through their decisions, created the legacy that still rings to this day, despites it’s exponential declination, as the once, most thriving black business district in the world.

The original built environment of Auburn Avenue was loaded with business left and right. Here are but some of the most iconic buildings, whose remnants remain to the present day; Atlanta Daily World, Atlanta Life Insurance, the Royal Peacock, and the famous Ebenezer Baptist Church. These buildings are of the few prominent structures that made up Sweet Auburn built environment, and although most of them are either torn down or long abandoned today, they still stand among others as components of the built environment.

Segregation, a political movement in its right, has shaped the street and its immediate area into what it is today. Despite the negative connotation that segregation entails, there can be no denying its role in the creation of Auburn Avenue, as its being contributed greatly to the overall development of The build environment. The projection of segregation in its built environment can still be seen today as the age-old buildings, including those mentioned above, stand testament to the atrocities and unfair treatments the street and its citizens faced, as their existence came to be due to the implications of Jim Crow.

Part 2: Civil Rights Movement

When Auburn Avenue is brought up in conversation, the Civil Rights Movement is never far behind, it may not be explicitly mentioned, but its presence is still ever-present. The street gets such an association by right, as influential leaders who came to be the spearhead of the movement were, for the most part, borne on the Avenue. Leaders such as John Dobbs and Martin Luther King are but two prime examples. The civil rights movement leaves its mark through not only equal right bills pass, but also through the built environment of Auburn Avenue.

Two blatant structures that lend a hand to the notion of civil rights impact on the built environment of Sweet Auburn are in memory of two great leaders of the movement. The first being the statue of John Dobbs, located at the John Wesley Dobbs Plaza. John Dobbs was a strong advocate and fighter for the civil liberties as he dedicated his whole life to the advancement of African American standing upon white American society. Dobbs preached the importance of suffrage as the “key to racial advancement” (John Wesley Dobbs) and encouraged thousands of black Americans to register. Due to his insistence on the importance of voting, the African American helped won Hartsfield his seat as Mayor of Atlanta, resulting in two major victories for the community. Through extensive work on Dobbs part, he got Mayor Hartsfield to fulfill the desegregation of the police force (despite being very limited in scope), as well as the installation of street lamps on the Avenue. Through politics, the built environment of Sweet Auburn took on change as new infrastructure was introduced. The statue of John Dobbs head then further illustrates the streets commitment and sentiments towards those days of civil rights and demonstrates the role the movement had on the present physicality of the street.

Martin Luther King Jr also places his names on the annals of Sweet Auburn history, as his Historic Center, the King Center has brought national acclaim worldwide, boasting visitors from all over the world. Martin Luther King Jr. has become a common household name, one that has been associated deeply with the civil rights movement. Dr. King, like his predecessor, John Dobbs, fought for civil liberties of all humankind through non-violent means, his involvement help brought the issue onto a national level, and his achievements in the field of civil liberties have rocked the modern world. His historic center stands representation of everything King, which in turn means it stood for everything civil rights. Taking into account the prominent position the center holds on the street, its constant care and promotion, there is little left to the imagination on the magnitude of its importance on the built environment.

Established by Mrs. Coretta Scott King in 1968, the King Historic Center still stands to this day as a beacon for the ongoing fight for civil liberties. Put up to change. The center will undergo modifications in its presentation so as to become a more “energetically-engaged educational and social change institution.” (About The King Center) The aspiration to fit into modern societal context further emphasizes the importance of the civil rights movement on Auburn Avenues image.

The center, alongside the statue of John Dobbs, gives credence to the notion that the streets built environment came about due to its heavily enforced history and political affiliations of days past. The statue stands watch over the street, as the King Center preserves the historic movement through its leader, bearing testament the progress made by African-Americans, and all Americans alike, in the fields of liberty and justice.

Part 3: Declination of the street due to its insistence on historical preservation

Everything about Auburn Avenue screams historical importance, so much so that an argument can be made that it is the very preservation of said history that has caused the exponential declination of the street. Sweet Auburn, in no way, represent its former glory, and rather than aging gracefully, Auburn Avenue seems to be stuck in between the times.

A street with so much history embedded with the feelings of hundreds of thousands, it comes to no surprise the extent to which Sweet Auburn goes through to further prolong its historical heritage. The old buildings that appear all along the street, those still in use, as well as those abandoned, all serve in creating the Avenue’s historic façade. The appearance of these buildings brings along a very out of time and out of place kind of feel. When you are walking along the street, especially so towards the undeveloped latter half, it seems as if you have taken a step back in time. In no ways, a bad thing was it in moderation, but so obsessed is the street in the preservation of such feelings, that it has, instead of a trampoline to further propel and set the street apart from others, created for itself an anchor in the sea of time. So heavy is that anchor, however, that the Avenue has begun to sink.

Officials, like Councilman Kwanza Hall, have just recently started looking towards revitalizing the street through a series of new renovation. As Councilman Hall stated in his interview with CNN, he knows that there is a “very rich treasure in terms of African-American history” (Sweet Auburn Avenue: Buildings Tell Their Story). He wishes to preserve some of the streets façades. Councilman Hall himself spoke of the implications of moving multiple boards onto the project of Sweet Auburn’s revitalization, as conflicts arise with differing goals. New renovations and buildings may be denied due to implicating some historic building or an area under review may have, attached to it, historical importance and therefore any and all ideas about that particular area are scrapped. Both residents and businesses alike, look towards the every increasingly empty street and although they sympathize with historical preservation, they also believe that it should in no way impede on progress.

Auburn Avenue’s persistence on the preservation of its historical heritage further illustrates the importance of history on the fabric of Sweet Auburn’s life. With so much protection and the abundance of historical buildings, the built environment of Auburn Avenue reflects its history and looks the way it does today due to its decision concerning the preservation of historical buildings.

Conclusion:

The built environment of Auburn Avenue has remained more or less the same throughout its long history. There are indeed new introductions as Georgia State University, situated near the Avenue, begin to expand its downtown footprint. The decisions of Sweet Auburn itself, however, still stand responsible as to how it wishes itself to be viewed, by both within and outside its bounds. Auburn Avenue became what it was through politics. It is what it is today through the same politics. The Street is constantly changing, reshaping itself and redefining its presence, all due to the influence of politics. The decisions Sweet Auburn made in regards to politics is seen through the built environment, as I have mentioned previously in the political reflection of the street. Same as politics, the different choices have all lead to the look of Auburn Avenue today, from its preservation of history to their continuation of certain heritages, such as the civil rights movement with its Historic King Center.

Thesis: The built environment of Auburn Avenue looks the way it does today from its long history of segregation and its cultural representation of Civil Rights

Topic 1: Segregation of Auburn Avenue, making it the most successful black American street in the world.

Map of Sweet Auburn District

“Sweet Auburn.” Sweet Auburn. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2016.

Early Segregation on Auburn Avenue

In 1900, businesses and professional firms at this end of Auburn Avenue were primarily White-owned and segregated, including United Investment Corporation Holding, Equitable Credit Union, and the Southern Belle Telephone and Telegraph Company. Within the next ten years, African American Peyton Allen and James Spratlin integrated this block of Auburn Avenue. Spradlin established the Atlanta Steam Dye and Cleaning Company. Alan, a teacher and an Atlanta University alumnus, opened a law office and advocated equal rights for African Americans. Atlanta’s streetcars were segregated by ordinance after 1890, prompting black citizens to boycott the trolleys around the turn of the century. Men such as Alan rode bicycles rather than sit in segregated streetcars, but they were unable to reverse the trend toward legislated segregation.

“Early Segregation On Auburn Avenue Marker – Historic Markers Across Georgia.” N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2016.

Golden Era Of Sweet Auburn

Originally called Wheat Street, the road was renamed in 1893 at the request of white petitioners who believed Auburn Avenue had a more cosmopolitan sound. During the next two decades, as restrictive Jim Crow legislation was codified into law, the city’s African American population became confined to the area between downtown and Atlanta University and to neighborhoods on the city’s east side, known today as the Old Fourth Ward. It was during this period that Auburn Avenue first achieved prominence as a commercial corridor and became home to the city’s emerging black middle class.

Originally called Wheat Street, the road was renamed in 1893 at the request of white petitioners who believed Auburn Avenue had a more cosmopolitan sound. During the next two decades, as restrictive Jim Crow legislation was codified into law, the city’s African American population became confined to the area between downtown and Atlanta University and to neighborhoods on the city’s east side, known today as the Old Fourth Ward. It was during this period that Auburn Avenue first achieved prominence as a commercial corridor and became home to the city’s emerging black middle class.

Although
The old Atlanta Life Insurance building, pictured in 2005, is boarded up on Auburn Avenue. Established by Alonzo Herndon in 1905, Atlanta Life was one of three financial institutions, all headquartered in the Sweet Auburn district, that served the black middle class in Atlanta before the civil rights movement.
Atlanta Life Insurance
composed mostly of small businesses, Auburn Avenue was also home to what historian Gary Pomerantz describes as Atlanta’s “three-legged stool of black finance.” The first of these institutions was founded by Alonzo Herndon, a former slave who became the city’s first black millionaire. After earning a modest fortune as the owner of a barbershop on Peachtree Street, Herndon founded the Atlanta Life Insurance Company in 1905. Six years later an enterprising Texan named Heman Perry formed a second black insurance company, Standard Life. Citizens Trust Bank formed the third leg of the city’s black financial stool, extending credit to black homeowners and entrepreneurs who were underserved by the city’s white lending institutions. Because Auburn Avenue’s financial institutions amounted to a consolidation of African American wealth unique for its time, black Atlantans referred to the street as “Sweet Auburn.” Coined by John Wesley Dobbs, a civic leader and the neighborhood’s unofficial “mayor,” the name reflected the avenue’s prominence as a national center of black commerce.Auburn Avenue was not simply a place to do business. Black Atlantans worshipped at Auburn’s many churches, including Ebenezer Baptist Church, where three generations of Martin Luther King Jr.’s family were pastors, and Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church; dined at the legendary Ma Sutton’s; and spent late nights listening to ragtime at the famous Top Hat Club (later the Royal Peacock). The National Association for the Advancement

Auburn Avenue was not simply a place to do business. Black Atlantans worshipped at Auburn’s many churches, including Ebenezer Baptist Church, where three generations of Martin Luther King Jr.’s family were pastors, and Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church; dined at the legendary Ma Sutton’s; and spent late nights listening to ragtime at the famous Top Hat Club (later the Royal Peacock). The National Association for the Advancement for Colored People (NAACP), the Odd Fellows, the Masons, and the National Urban League maintained offices on Auburn Avenue, which was also home to the nation’s first successful black-owned daily newspaper, the Atlanta Daily World. Whether for work or play, Auburn Avenue was the center of African-American life in Atlanta.

“Auburn Avenue (Sweet Auburn).” New Georgia Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2016.

Topic 2: Civil Rights Movement

John Dobbs

Dobbs fervently believed that African American suffrage was the key to racial advancement. He announced a goal of registering 10,000 black voters in Atlanta and preached the importance of voter registration in Masonic halls, in African American churches, and on street corners. Dobbs also founded the Atlanta Civic and Political League in 1936 and, with attorney A. T. Walden, cofounded the Atlanta Negro Voters League in 1946. Both of these leagues advocated voter registration and black political unity.

Due largely to Dobbs’s efforts, African Americans achieved two significant political victories in the late 1940s. In the spring of 1948 Atlanta mayor William B. Hartsfield fulfilled a promise he had made to Dobbs by hiring eight African American police officers. Although they could patrol only black neighborhoods and could not arrest whites, the hiring was a significant challenge to segregation. The following year Hartsfield fulfilled another campaign promise by installing street lamps on Auburn Avenue, the center of Atlanta’s black community. Both of these achievements served to solidify Dobbs’s position as a leader. (Dobbs himself coined the term “Sweet Auburn,” an expression of the area’s thriving businesses and active social and civic life.)
During the 1950s Dobbs continued his work toward African American equality. He constantly pressed Hartsfield to fulfill other promises made to the black community. Dobbs’s influence began to wane, though, as the decade ended and a younger generation of African American leaders emerged at the forefront of the civil rights struggle. By this time he was suffering from arthritis, often unable to get out of bed.

“John Wesley Dobbs (1882-1961).” New Georgia Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2016.

“Jwd_headft.jpg (JPEG Image, 259 × 343 Pixels) – Scaled (88%).” N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2016.

Martin Luther King Jr

During the less than 13 years of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s leadership of the modern American Civil Rights Movement, from December, 1955 until April 4, 1968, African Americans achieved more genuine progress toward racial equality in America than the previous 350 years had produced. Dr. King is widely regarded as America’s pre-eminent advocate of nonviolence and one of the greatest nonviolent leaders in world history.

Drawing inspiration from both his Christian faith and the peaceful teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. King led a nonviolent movement in the late 1950’s and ‘60s to achieve legal equality for African-Americans in the United States. While others were advocating for freedom by “any means necessary,” including violence, Martin Luther King, Jr. used the power of words and acts of nonviolent resistance, such as protests, grassroots organizing, and civil disobedience to achieve seemingly-impossible goals. He went on to lead similar campaigns against poverty and international conflict, always maintaining fidelity to his principles that men and women everywhere, regardless of color or creed, are equal members of the human family.

Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, Nobel Peace Prize lecture and “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” are among the most revered orations and writings in the English language. His accomplishments are now taught to American children of all races, and his teachings are studied by scholars and students worldwide. He is the only non-president to have a national holiday dedicated in his honor, and is the only non-president memorialized on the Great Mall in the nation’s capitol. He is memorialized in hundreds of statues, parks, streets, squares, churches and other public facilities around the world as a leader whose teachings are increasingly-relevant to the progress of humankind

“About Dr. King | The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change.” N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2016.

“MTE5NTU2MzE2MjgwNDg5NDgz.jpg (JPEG Image, 1200 × 1200 Pixels) – Scaled (25%).” N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2016.

Historic King Center

Established in 1968 by Mrs. Coretta Scott King, The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (“The King Center”) has been a global destination, resource center and community institution for over a quarter century. Nearly a million people each year make pilgrimage to the National Historic Site to learn, be inspired and pay their respects to Dr. King’s legacy.

Both a traditional memorial and programmatic nonprofit, the King Center was envisioned by its founder to be “no dead monument, but a living memorial filled with all the vitality that was his, a center of human endeavor, committed to the causes for which he lived and died.” That vision was carried out through educational and community programs until Mrs. King’s retirement in the mid-1990’s, and today it’s being revitalized.

As we move into the second decade of the 21st century, the King Center is embarking on a major transformation into a more energetically-engaged educational and social change institution. Supported by our Board of Directors and an infusion of new thinking, the King Center is dedicated to ensuring that the King legacy not only remains relevant and viable, but is effectively leveraged for positive social impact.

In short, the King Center is repositioning to meet the challenges and opportunities of today. Squarely-focused on serving as both a local and global resource, the King Center is dedicated to educating the world on the life, legacy and teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., inspiring new generations to carry forward his unfinished work, strengthen causes and empower change-makers who are continuing his efforts today.

Plans include a state-of-the-art renovation to the King Center’s Atlanta campus, the preservation and digitization of our one-of-a-kind archives, the launch of an innovative digital strategy and conference series to bring the King legacy to a modern audience and the development of new programs and partnerships that further Dr. King’s work in sustainable, measurable ways worldwide. Through such efforts, the King Center can rise to its true potential as a beacon of hope and progress, to a world that still desperately needs Dr. King’s voice and message.

“About The King Center | The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change.” N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2016.

“m1g_martin_luther_site.jpg (JPEG Image, 350 × 467 Pixels) – Scaled (64%).” N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2016.

Topic 3: Declination of Street due to Historical Preservation

Silver Moon opened in 1904. It was one among many businesses run by African-Americans, for African-Americans, along Auburn Avenue. During the period of segregation this street was called the “richest Negro street in the world.” The street existed because of the bleak realities of segregation, but in those days the corridor had a vibrant feel.”This was a street full of people on Friday and Saturday nights. If you were in a car it would take you perhaps 15 or 20 minutes to go a block,” recalls Wellington Cox Howard, a small-business owner on Auburn Avenue.

“This was a street full of people on Friday and Saturday nights. If you were in a car it would take you perhaps 15 or 20 minutes to go a block,” recalls Wellington Cox Howard, a small-business owner on Auburn Avenue.
2010: Sweet eats = Sweet success

When Howard first arrived in Atlanta in the 1960s he made a beeline for the street. He had his first meal on Auburn, resided on the street, and when he graduated from college in 1970s, he decided to open his insurance business there.

But by that time, change had already arrived on Auburn. Howard recalls telling a friend about his decision to open up shop there.

“He said why do you want to go to Auburn Avenue? He said the city has integrated. He said we’ve all left.”

Before integration, Howard says, Auburn was a city unto itself. African-Americans would come here for doctor’s appointments, they’d come for entertainment, they’d come for banking and to start large construction projects. When integration came, African-American businesses spread throughout the city and the corridor lost much of its vibrancy.

This year, for the second time, the Sweet Auburn District was listed as endangered by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a private nonprofit organization. This designation does not mean automatic funding for improvements, but the group says the attention often galvanizes efforts at preservation.

Sweet Auburn’s designation is somewhat unusual, because sites normally aren’t listed more than once. Since the initial designation, residential options have improved on the corridor, the group said, but “the commercial area concentrated on Auburn Avenue has not fared as well.” The concern is that without greater resources devoted to planning and preservation, many buildings could be lost along with the history they hold.

Along the corridor, news of the designation passed with mostly tepid curiosity. About a half-dozen local business owners CNN spoke to expressed surprise about the news but remained hopeful. Many spoke about recent positive changes they’ve seen, like a streetcar project that’s breaking ground with federal funds, and wondered whether the designation might spur more positive changes.

Councilman Kwanza Hall, who represents this district, has taken the news quite seriously. Hall, whose parents were civil rights leaders, spent many days on Auburn as a child.

“There’s a very rich treasure in terms of African-American history,” Hall said, rattling off a long list of buildings and their historical significance. For Hall the endangered designation necessitates a big response. He calls it a “Marshall Plan”: a concept to revitalize the community by bringing all the disparate interests on board.

But Hall is not naïve. “It’s not easy to move multiple entities, all who have their own boards and organizational goals that are sometimes in conflict,” he said. Hall is well aware that for historic preservation to get buy-in from existing landowners, there must be a clear incentive for everyone.

Up and down the street that message is well-received. Owners of new and old businesses alike stressed the need to respect history but not to let it get in the way of progress.

Windsor Jones, who owns Sweet Auburn Bread Co. with his mother, said they’d moved to the street five years ago because of the history. The bakery routinely gets tourists wandering down from the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, a major point of pride for the business that turns out muffins and sweet potato cheesecake.

Also nearby are the home were King was born and Ebenezer Baptist Church, where he was pastor. Still, doing business on this street has drawbacks. Jones shoos away a woman asking for change as he squints out the window looking at the ruins of a building across the street.

“They’ve already torn down some buildings,” he says, “and I understand why they want to save some, but some of them are eyesores.”

Around the corner from Jones’s bakery, a lush green garden provides a vivid picture of how the legacy of this corridor can live on even with radical change. Rashid Nuri and Eugene Cooke run the space here known as Wheat Street Gardens, and turn out beautiful organic produce. The small but productive farm bustles with activity. There’s a summer camp here and the garden just got funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to train urban farmers.

Cooke pauses from a lesson in harvesting to explain how their work fits in with the area’s history.

“Every human definitely deserves to eat good food, so it is absolutely in that lineage of human rights issues,” he says.

This view is reinforced by the landscape. Beyond the rows of peppers and sunflowers, historic buildings peek out, buildings that keep Cooke focused on his mission of spreading social justice through good food.

Despite the visible challenges on this street — the empty storefronts and a handful of rundown buildings — Hall says he thinks this is actually a good time for Auburn. It’s a view shared by many who work on the street every day.

Right now, federal dollars are flowing in for the streetcar project, and many see the future for this street with the neighboring Georgia State University continuing to expand its downtown footprint. Hall says now is the time to move forward with new projects while keeping alive the memories of this street’s role during segregation, and its famous residents’ roles in ending it.

Conclusion: Auburn Avenue built from its politics and civil rights history.

Although economically governed by the restrictive Jim Crow Laws, from the 1920’s through the 1940’s Sweet Auburn Avenue was at the height of its social vigor and the present day buildings reflect this energy. After this golden era, the west side of Atlanta around the Atlanta University Center became a more fashionable area to locate an African American business or residence. Desegregration in the 1960’s furthered an exodus of people and energy from the area, leaving the street somewhat depopulated as it is today.