The Atlanta Life Insurance company was originally located in these two buildings when it opened 1922. The company still exists today and is credited with creating some of the most affluent African Americans. The founder, Alonzo Herndon, is known for being one of the very first African American millionaire. Alonzo Herndon’s son, Norris Herndon, would take over the company in 1927 following his father’s death. Norris Herndon would effectively help grow the company into a multi-million-dollar business. Norris Herndon would then later be replaced by Jesse Hill, whom Jesse Hill Jr. is named after, marking the first time the president of the company is not one of the original Herndon family. Jesse Hill also moved the company into its modern form with executive teams with continued expansion and financial growth. The Herndon family and many employees of the Atlanta Life Insurance Company were very involved in the Civil Rights Movement in Atlanta. Norris Herndon would even be able to influence major positions in Atlanta including the mayor of Atlanta to get Martin Luther King Jr. to join a march in Atlanta. Now the Atlanta Life Insurance, as part of its centennial, has taken a new direction to financial services as well as a new name, The Atlanta Life Financial Group.