Adair Park
Encyclopedia
This article includes information collected from the National Park Service
website, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain
.
Adair Park is a residential neighborhood located southwest of downtown Atlanta. It has the form of a left curly bracket, bordered by the MARTA
north-south rail line on the northwest, the BeltLine
trail on the southwest and Metropolitan Parkway
on the east. Historically Adair Park also included the area from Metropolitan Parkway to McDaniel Street on the east, but the city now considers that area part of the Pittsburgh
neighborhood.
The bungalow suburb
was developed from the 1890s to the 1940s, when Atlanta was transitioning from a "railroad town" to an urban area. Shortly after the Civil War, land speculators, notably George Washington Adair, John Thrasher
and Thomas Alexander, began purchasing land in this area anticipating future growth. To increase the value of this land, Adair joined with Richard Peters
in 1870 to form the Atlanta Street Railway Company to provide horsecar
access to the area. He also established the Atlanta Real Estate Company, and continued purchasing land for development. Adair's company became the largest developer of property in Atlanta before he died in 1889. His sons, George and Forrest, continued the company, and began designing the Adair Park subdivision and selling lots in 1910. Adair Park developed into a small white working-class neighborhood of modest houses.
By the 1950s Adair Park was surrounded on all sides by neighborhoods that either always were or had transitioned to majority-black. In 1955 white flight
began, triggered by the sale of a single property on Beryl Street near Dewey Street to a black family. Soon Dewey, Hope and Beryl Streets had transitioned from white to black, as did Maryland Avenue and Maryland Circle in 1958. Supported by the West Side Mutual Development Committee (WSMDC), which Mayor Hartsfield had formed to block or manage racial transitions in Atlanta neighborhoods, the Adair Park Civic Club attempted to pool white community resources to repurchase houses and keep white areas white, but there was not enough support compared to those white residents who wished to sell and the transition continued. In 1969, the Georgia grand dragon of the United Klans of America was elected as the Adair Park Civic Club's vice chairman. A day later he, along with black real estate agent Johnny Cornelius Johnson, were elected to policy positions in Atlanta's federally sponsored Model Cities Program
.
Adair Park gradually slid into decline along with the Metropolitan Parkway corridor. But by 2000, young people were starting to move back into the neighborhood, settling alongside many lifelong residents, attracted by the charming affordable bungalows and community spirit.
, the predominate house type within the neighborhood is the bungalow
with American Craftsman
style detailing. Other architectural styles represented include Folk Victorian
, Queen Anne
, and English Vernacular Revival
. There are also a few apartment buildings within the district. Lots are large, typically 50' x 200' including dedicated driveways and access to rear yards. Landscaping is informal with grass yards, mature trees and shrubs. There are sidewalks, granite curbing
, steps from the street to the yards, and retaining walls within the district. The few historic commercial buildings are generally one-story freestanding or attached neighborhood stores. Most are constructed of cinder block or brick and feature storefront windows.
Community landmark buildings include the George W. Adair School. Constructed in 1912, the school is a two-story brick building designed in the Academic Gothic Revival
style with red brick. Other community buildings include the Stewart Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church South and the Adair Park Baptist Church.
The Metropolitan, a former warehouse complex, has been turned into an "intown business and arts district" of loft and studio space, occupying a quarter-mile block at the north end of the neighborhood.
built in 1930. This park is generally used for neighborhood gatherings, informal pick-up games, and walking. The second park in the district was established in the 1980s on a large parcel of land that was once a lumberyard. Adair Park II features a recreational baseball field, a covered basketball court, tennis courts, and a playground.
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
website, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
.
Adair Park is a residential neighborhood located southwest of downtown Atlanta. It has the form of a left curly bracket, bordered by the MARTA
Marta
Marta may refer to:* Marta or Marta Vieira da Silva , a Brazilian women's football forward* Marta Estrella, a recurring fictional character from Arrested Development...
north-south rail line on the northwest, the BeltLine
Beltline
The Beltline is a region of central Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The area is located immediately to the south of Calgary's downtown , and is sometimes considered part of downtown...
trail on the southwest and Metropolitan Parkway
Metropolitan Parkway
Metropolitan Parkway can refer to:*Metropolitan Parkway in Atlanta, Georgia.*Metropolitan Parkway near Detroit, Michigan....
on the east. Historically Adair Park also included the area from Metropolitan Parkway to McDaniel Street on the east, but the city now considers that area part of the Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh (Atlanta)
Pittsburgh is a neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia, founded in 1883 as a black working-class suburb alongside the Pegram rail shops. It was named Pittsburgh because the industrial area reminded one of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and its famous steel mills...
neighborhood.
History
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
was developed from the 1890s to the 1940s, when Atlanta was transitioning from a "railroad town" to an urban area. Shortly after the Civil War, land speculators, notably George Washington Adair, John Thrasher
John Thrasher
John Thrasher was the founder of the city of Norcross, Georgia, an original pioneer of Atlanta, and a well-travelled entrepreneur throughout the American Southeast.- Founding of Atlanta :...
and Thomas Alexander, began purchasing land in this area anticipating future growth. To increase the value of this land, Adair joined with Richard Peters
Richard Peters (Atlanta)
Richard Peters was an American railroad man and a founder of Atlanta.Grandson of Judge Richard Peters, Jr...
in 1870 to form the Atlanta Street Railway Company to provide horsecar
Streetcars in Atlanta
Streetcars operated in Atlanta starting with horsecars in 1871; electric streetcar service started in the 1880s. The last streetcar service ended in 1949; the streetcar system was quickly replaced by a trolleybus system and with buses...
access to the area. He also established the Atlanta Real Estate Company, and continued purchasing land for development. Adair's company became the largest developer of property in Atlanta before he died in 1889. His sons, George and Forrest, continued the company, and began designing the Adair Park subdivision and selling lots in 1910. Adair Park developed into a small white working-class neighborhood of modest houses.
By the 1950s Adair Park was surrounded on all sides by neighborhoods that either always were or had transitioned to majority-black. In 1955 white flight
White flight
White flight has been a term that originated in the United States, starting in the mid-20th century, and applied to the large-scale migration of whites of various European ancestries from racially mixed urban regions to more racially homogeneous suburban or exurban regions. It was first seen as...
began, triggered by the sale of a single property on Beryl Street near Dewey Street to a black family. Soon Dewey, Hope and Beryl Streets had transitioned from white to black, as did Maryland Avenue and Maryland Circle in 1958. Supported by the West Side Mutual Development Committee (WSMDC), which Mayor Hartsfield had formed to block or manage racial transitions in Atlanta neighborhoods, the Adair Park Civic Club attempted to pool white community resources to repurchase houses and keep white areas white, but there was not enough support compared to those white residents who wished to sell and the transition continued. In 1969, the Georgia grand dragon of the United Klans of America was elected as the Adair Park Civic Club's vice chairman. A day later he, along with black real estate agent Johnny Cornelius Johnson, were elected to policy positions in Atlanta's federally sponsored Model Cities Program
Model Cities Program
The Model Cities Program was an element of United States President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society and War on Poverty. The ambitious federal urban aid program ultimately fell short of its goals....
.
Adair Park gradually slid into decline along with the Metropolitan Parkway corridor. But by 2000, young people were starting to move back into the neighborhood, settling alongside many lifelong residents, attracted by the charming affordable bungalows and community spirit.
Neighborhood
Similar to neighboring West EndWest End (Atlanta)
The West End neighborhood of Atlanta is on the National Register of Historic Places and can be found southwest of Castleberry Hill, east of Westview, west of Adair Park Historic District, and just north of Oakland City...
, the predominate house type within the neighborhood is the bungalow
Bungalow
A bungalow is a type of house, with varying meanings across the world. Common features to many of these definitions include being detached, low-rise , and the use of verandahs...
with American Craftsman
American Craftsman
The American Craftsman Style, or the American Arts and Crafts Movement, is an American domestic architectural, interior design, landscape design, applied arts, and decorative arts style and lifestyle philosophy that began in the last years of the 19th century. As a comprehensive design and art...
style detailing. Other architectural styles represented include Folk Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
, Queen Anne
Queen Anne Style architecture
The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
, and English Vernacular Revival
Vernacular architecture
Vernacular architecture is a term used to categorize methods of construction which use locally available resources and traditions to address local needs and circumstances. Vernacular architecture tends to evolve over time to reflect the environmental, cultural and historical context in which it...
. There are also a few apartment buildings within the district. Lots are large, typically 50' x 200' including dedicated driveways and access to rear yards. Landscaping is informal with grass yards, mature trees and shrubs. There are sidewalks, granite curbing
Curb (road)
A curb, or kerb , is the edge where a raised pavement/sidewalk/footpath, road median, or road shoulder meets an unraised street or other roadway.-Function:...
, steps from the street to the yards, and retaining walls within the district. The few historic commercial buildings are generally one-story freestanding or attached neighborhood stores. Most are constructed of cinder block or brick and feature storefront windows.
Community landmark buildings include the George W. Adair School. Constructed in 1912, the school is a two-story brick building designed in the Academic Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
style with red brick. Other community buildings include the Stewart Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church South and the Adair Park Baptist Church.
The Metropolitan, a former warehouse complex, has been turned into an "intown business and arts district" of loft and studio space, occupying a quarter-mile block at the north end of the neighborhood.
Parks
The first recreational park in the district was established in 1922. Adair Park I comprises 20 lots originally designated for houses that were not sold due to the sloped topography and swampy ground. Landscaped with open areas, mature trees, brick walkways, and a playground, the park has on its grounds a one-story brick bathhousePublic bathing
Public baths originated from a communal need for cleanliness. The term public may confuse some people, as some types of public baths are restricted depending on membership, gender, religious affiliation, or other reasons. As societies have changed, public baths have been replaced as private bathing...
built in 1930. This park is generally used for neighborhood gatherings, informal pick-up games, and walking. The second park in the district was established in the 1980s on a large parcel of land that was once a lumberyard. Adair Park II features a recreational baseball field, a covered basketball court, tennis courts, and a playground.