West End (Atlanta)
Encyclopedia
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
. It would be difficult to find a neighborhood more closely linked to the city's, state's, region's, and nation's historical development than the West End district of Atlanta. Architectural styles within the district include Craftsman Bungalow
, Queen Anne
, Stick style, Folk Victorian
, Colonial Revival, American Foursquare
and Neoclassical Revival.
neighborhood while retaining its own distinctive character and vitality. This has been accomplished both by adaptation and participation in change and by its citizens' recognition of the district's special history.
From a frontier outpost in the 1830s, the district evolved into an independent political entity closely linked by rail and roads to its neighbor Atlanta.
in April 1871, Richard Peters
and George Adair
bought out the charter of the Atlanta Street Railway Company
(horse-drawn) and on September 1 of that year opened the first section connecting Five Points
to the West End – a route that passed by both of their homes. The following year the West End & Atlanta Street Railroad
also started service to West End and Westview Cemetery
.
By the 1880s many wealthy Atlantans built large estates here and when they came, the main street
of Gordon Street became a bustling commercial district. In 1894, it was annexed by Atlanta as a distinct ward following two decades of planned suburbanization. From 1894 to 1930, West End grew rapidly in population and prosperity. An examination of building permits for Peeples, Gordon, Lee and Lawton Streets shows a large number of single family residences being built and increasing commercial buildings and churches going up along Gordon and at the long established business district at Gordon and Lee. National and local prosperity and the mobility created by the automobile in the 1920s helped West End to grow. Approximately fifty businesses were now clustered at Gordon and Lee with branches of Sears, Firestone, Piggly-Wiggly, and Goodyear.
Churches and schools increased to serve the growing population. Schools began to dot West End, the largest being the 1923 Joseph E. Brown High School at Peeples and Beecher. West End became a desirable suburban community in the 1880s, and grew rapidly in population and prosperity, so that by 1930 there were more than 22,000 residents.
Notable residents in this early period included Atlanta mayor Dennis Hammond
, Evan Howell
, governor James Smith (1872–77), John Conley (son of Governor Benjamin Conley), Thomas Stokes (founding partner of Davison's Department Store), L. Z. Rosser (president of the Atlanta Board of Education), J. P. Allen (clothing store owner), T. D. Longino (medical doctor and alderman), J. N. McEachern (insurance executive), as well as several authors such as Frank L. Stanton, Madge Bigham and Joel Chandler Harris
, known for his Uncle Remus
Tales. Both during his life and up to the present, Harris has perhaps been West End's most famous resident. He attracted such figures as President Theodore Roosevelt
and Andrew Carnegie
to Atlanta, the former returning after Harris' death to lecture for the Uncle Remus Memorial Association.
was built across West End's northern fringe, and the old business district (along with large amounts of residential housing) was demolished in favor of a mall development. Completed in 1973, the mall's accessibility was later augmented by part of the city's latest transportation system, a MARTA
station, across the street. The West End Businessmen's Association obviously was successful in many areas, but it failed in stopping "white flight
". By 1976, West End was eighty-six percent Afro-American.
In addition to being an artist's mecca, it is also a hub for Atlanta's Afrocentric community. Sites such as Soul Vegetarian South, the Shrine of the Black Madonna church, the Hammonds House, and the African Djeli contribute to the West End being one of the strongest hubs of African-American culture in Metro Atlanta. In last few years West End is experiencing steady influx of new residents. Neighborhood is becoming more racially diverse and new residents are very welcome by community members (post mortgage fraud).
project in Atlanta. The first model mile was completed in the spring of 2008. The model mile consists of the biking and walking path, improvement of White Gordon Park, and one new park behind Brown Middle School. In addition Trees Atlanta
planted 200 trees native to West End which will be part of 22-mile linear arboretum
that will follow the BeltLine corridor. Livable Center Initiative (LCI)http://www.atlantaregional.com/cps/rde/xchg/arc/hs.xsl/308_ENU_HTML.htm granted funds for West End to renovate and improve its streetscape to make it a more walkable community. West End is included in the Peachtree Corridor plan http://www.peachtreecorridor.com/corridor_segments/southside_mixed_use/. With the Peachtree Corridor, the BeltLine, and MARTA
, West End will be one of the most transit-oriented neighborhoods Transit-oriented development
in Atlanta.
serves the West End.
Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System
operates the West End Branch.
at the Joseph E. Lowery Blvd. exit. It is also served by the West End
MARTA
station and MARTA buses.
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
and can be found southwest of Castleberry Hill
Castleberry Hill
Castleberry Hill is a neighborhood in central Atlanta, Georgia located adjacent to and southwest of the Central Business District. It is a federally recognized historic district since 1985 and became a City of Atlanta Landmark District in 2006...
, east of Westview, west of Adair Park
Adair Park
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...
Historic District, and just north of Oakland City
Oakland City (Atlanta)
Oakland City is a neighborhood in southwestern Atlanta, Georgia, just southwest across the BeltLine from West End and Adair Park.Oakland City was incorporated as a city in 1894 and annexed to Atlanta in 1910....
. It would be difficult to find a neighborhood more closely linked to the city's, state's, region's, and nation's historical development than the West End district of Atlanta. Architectural styles within the district include Craftsman 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...
, 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...
, Stick style, 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...
, Colonial Revival, American Foursquare
American Foursquare
The American Foursquare or American Four Square is an American house style popular from the mid-1890s to the late 1930s. A reaction to the ornate and mass produced elements of the Victorian and other Revival styles popular throughout the last half of the 19th century, the American Foursquare was...
and Neoclassical Revival.
History
In this century, West End has endured many changes in its metamorphosis to an intownIntown Atlanta
Intown Atlanta is a term very frequently used in metro Atlanta to designate an area containing parts of the City of Atlanta and bordering communities...
neighborhood while retaining its own distinctive character and vitality. This has been accomplished both by adaptation and participation in change and by its citizens' recognition of the district's special history.
Early history
Before there was a West End or an Atlanta, the area was a crossroads. Newnan Road connected the town of that name to Decatur and Lawrenceville. Crossing this road was the Sandtown Road going west to an Indian town of that name. Near this junction around 1830, Charner Humphries established an inn/tavern which came to be known as Whitehall due to the then unusual fact that it had a coat of white paint when most other buildings were of washed or natural wood.From a frontier outpost in the 1830s, the district evolved into an independent political entity closely linked by rail and roads to its neighbor Atlanta.
in April 1871, Richard Peters
Richard Peters (Atlanta)
Richard Peters was an American railroad man and a founder of Atlanta.Grandson of Judge Richard Peters, Jr...
and George Adair
George Adair
George Washington Adair was an important real-estate developer in post Civil War Atlanta.-Early life:...
bought out the charter of the Atlanta Street Railway Company
Atlanta Street Railway Company
The Atlanta Street Railway was the first streetcar system in Atlanta.Originally chartered by the state of Georgia on February 23, 1866 by George Hillyer, Dr...
(horse-drawn) and on September 1 of that year opened the first section connecting Five Points
Five Points (Atlanta)
Five Points is a district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States, the primary reference for the downtown area. The name refers to the convergence of Marietta Street, Edgewood Avenue, Decatur Street, and two legs of Peachtree Street Five Points is a district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States, the...
to the West End – a route that passed by both of their homes. The following year the West End & Atlanta Street Railroad
West End & Atlanta Street Railroad
The West End & Atlanta Street Railroad Company of Atlanta, Georgia was organized in 1872 by Thomas Alexander, M. G. Dobbins, B. J. Wilson, Benjamin H. Broomhead, , J. M. Alexander, James Atkins, J. W. Goldsmith, John M. Harwell and Jonathan Norcross...
also started service to West End and Westview Cemetery
Westview Cemetery
Westview Cemetery, located in Atlanta, Georgia, is the largest cemetery in the South East, comprising over , 50% of which is undeveloped. Westview includes the graves of more than 100,000 people.- History:...
.
By the 1880s many wealthy Atlantans built large estates here and when they came, the main street
Main Street
Main Street is the metonym for a generic street name of the primary retail street of a village, town, or small city in many parts of the world...
of Gordon Street became a bustling commercial district. In 1894, it was annexed by Atlanta as a distinct ward following two decades of planned suburbanization. From 1894 to 1930, West End grew rapidly in population and prosperity. An examination of building permits for Peeples, Gordon, Lee and Lawton Streets shows a large number of single family residences being built and increasing commercial buildings and churches going up along Gordon and at the long established business district at Gordon and Lee. National and local prosperity and the mobility created by the automobile in the 1920s helped West End to grow. Approximately fifty businesses were now clustered at Gordon and Lee with branches of Sears, Firestone, Piggly-Wiggly, and Goodyear.
Churches and schools increased to serve the growing population. Schools began to dot West End, the largest being the 1923 Joseph E. Brown High School at Peeples and Beecher. West End became a desirable suburban community in the 1880s, and grew rapidly in population and prosperity, so that by 1930 there were more than 22,000 residents.
Notable residents in this early period included Atlanta mayor Dennis Hammond
Dennis Hammond
Dennis Hammond was born in the Edgefield District of South Carolina.He moved to Georgia where he was a lawyer and, from 1855 to 1861, judge in the superior court Tallapoosa Judicial Circuit....
, Evan Howell
Evan Howell
Evan Park Howell was an American politician and early telegraph operator, as well as an officer in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War....
, governor James Smith (1872–77), John Conley (son of Governor Benjamin Conley), Thomas Stokes (founding partner of Davison's Department Store), L. Z. Rosser (president of the Atlanta Board of Education), J. P. Allen (clothing store owner), T. D. Longino (medical doctor and alderman), J. N. McEachern (insurance executive), as well as several authors such as Frank L. Stanton, Madge Bigham and Joel Chandler Harris
Joel Chandler Harris
Joel Chandler Harris was an American journalist, fiction writer, and folklorist best known for his collection of Uncle Remus stories. Harris was born in Eatonton, Georgia, where he served as an apprentice on a plantation during his teenage years...
, known for his Uncle Remus
Uncle Remus
Uncle Remus is a fictional character, the title character and fictional narrator of a collection of African American folktales adapted and compiled by Joel Chandler Harris, published in book form in 1881...
Tales. Both during his life and up to the present, Harris has perhaps been West End's most famous resident. He attracted such figures as President Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
and Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...
to Atlanta, the former returning after Harris' death to lecture for the Uncle Remus Memorial Association.
Transition
After 1930, West End was an aging but still vital Atlanta community. This vitality is most clearly evident in the West End Businessmen's Association (originally formed in 1927). In 1937, the Association pushed for extension of the National Housing Act title providing for home modernization loans, and in subsequent decades (1950s and 1960s) for economic accessibility and population stabilization, including segregation. With the group's support, Gordon Street was widened, Interstate 20Interstate 20
Interstate 20 is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States. I‑20 runs 1,535 miles from near Kent, Texas, at Interstate 10 to Florence, South Carolina, at Interstate 95...
was built across West End's northern fringe, and the old business district (along with large amounts of residential housing) was demolished in favor of a mall development. Completed in 1973, the mall's accessibility was later augmented by part of the city's latest transportation system, a MARTA
Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority
The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority or MARTA is the principal rapid-transit system in the Atlanta metropolitan area and the ninth-largest in the United States. Formed in 1971 as strictly a bus system, MARTA operates a network of bus routes linked to a rapid transit system consisting...
station, across the street. The West End Businessmen's Association obviously was successful in many areas, but it failed in stopping "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...
". By 1976, West End was eighty-six percent Afro-American.
Renewal
By the 2000s, much of it still looked blighted but a few bright spots were popping up due to a wave of investment in intown Atlanta beginning to rejuvenate the area. As West End was once described as one of Atlanta's most socially diverse and culturally rich communities, it is again returning to the tradition of its past, as it relates to the regenerating of community value and revitalization. An example of revitalization in West End is Sky Lofts, which converted a long vacant Sears parking lot. Sky Lofts brought a lot of new residents, especially young professionals, looking for urban lifestyle. Historic houses are being rehabbed and renovated by new and old residents. West End, as its name suggests (named after London's theater), is also a mecca for artists. West End was chosen by Creative Loafing in 2010 as Best Neighborhood For Artists.In addition to being an artist's mecca, it is also a hub for Atlanta's Afrocentric community. Sites such as Soul Vegetarian South, the Shrine of the Black Madonna church, the Hammonds House, and the African Djeli contribute to the West End being one of the strongest hubs of African-American culture in Metro Atlanta. In last few years West End is experiencing steady influx of new residents. Neighborhood is becoming more racially diverse and new residents are very welcome by community members (post mortgage fraud).
Parks and BeltLine
West End is also a pioneer neighborhood for the BeltLineBeltline
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...
project in Atlanta. The first model mile was completed in the spring of 2008. The model mile consists of the biking and walking path, improvement of White Gordon Park, and one new park behind Brown Middle School. In addition Trees Atlanta
Trees Atlanta
Trees Atlanta is a non-profit organization in Atlanta, Georgia, United States that seeks to preserve and protect the city's trees. The group employs a full-time staff of tree-care professionals and maintains an extensive network of volunteers, who work together to enrich the city's quality of life...
planted 200 trees native to West End which will be part of 22-mile linear arboretum
Arboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
that will follow the BeltLine corridor. Livable Center Initiative (LCI)http://www.atlantaregional.com/cps/rde/xchg/arc/hs.xsl/308_ENU_HTML.htm granted funds for West End to renovate and improve its streetscape to make it a more walkable community. West End is included in the Peachtree Corridor plan http://www.peachtreecorridor.com/corridor_segments/southside_mixed_use/. With the Peachtree Corridor, the BeltLine, and MARTA
Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority
The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority or MARTA is the principal rapid-transit system in the Atlanta metropolitan area and the ninth-largest in the United States. Formed in 1971 as strictly a bus system, MARTA operates a network of bus routes linked to a rapid transit system consisting...
, West End will be one of the most transit-oriented neighborhoods Transit-oriented development
Transit-oriented development
A transit-oriented development is a mixed-use residential or commercial area designed to maximize access to public transport, and often incorporates features to encourage transit ridership...
in Atlanta.
Landmarks
- Joel Chandler Harris Home (Wren's Nest) - the home of the writer of the Uncle Remus books
- West End Performing Arts Center
- Hammonds House MuseumHammonds House MuseumThe Hammonds House Museum is a museum for African American fine art, located at 503 Peeples Street SW in the West End neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia. It is located in the 1872 Victorian house, former residence of Dr...
of African American fine art - Sky Lofts, a mixed-use development - the newest addition as well as one of the tallest buildings in West End
Education
Atlanta Public SchoolsAtlanta Public Schools
Atlanta Public Schools is a school district based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. APS is run by the Atlanta Board of Education with interim superintendent Erroll Davis...
serves the West End.
Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System
Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System
The Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System is a network of public libraries serving the City of Atlanta and Fulton County, both in the U.S. state of Georgia. The system is currently administered by Fulton County...
operates the West End Branch.
Transportation
West End is located on the south side of Interstate 20Interstate 20
Interstate 20 is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States. I‑20 runs 1,535 miles from near Kent, Texas, at Interstate 10 to Florence, South Carolina, at Interstate 95...
at the Joseph E. Lowery Blvd. exit. It is also served by the West End
West End (MARTA station)
West End is an elevated Rail station on the Red and Gold lines of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority rail system servicing the West End and most of Southwest Atlanta, including neighborhoods bordering Cascade Road and Metropolitan Parkway. The West End station opened on September...
MARTA
Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority
The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority or MARTA is the principal rapid-transit system in the Atlanta metropolitan area and the ninth-largest in the United States. Formed in 1971 as strictly a bus system, MARTA operates a network of bus routes linked to a rapid transit system consisting...
station and MARTA buses.
Trivia
- Settled in 1835, the original name of the West End was White Hall (after the White Hall Inn); it was renamed in 1867 after London's theatre district.
- White Hall Inn, a two-story building located on the corner of Lee Street and Ralph David Abernathy Blvd, was so named because it was painted white when most buildings of the time were unpainted.
- White Hall Inn was also the stagecoach shop, tavern, post office and home of the 503rd Militia district, as well as the election precinct.
- West End officially became a part of Atlanta on January 1, 1894.
- The West End District was the first locally designated historic district in the City of Atlanta.
- The layout of the original West End was a main street and adjacent grid pattern streets; three right turns and you were back where you started
- OutkastOutKastOutkast is an American hip hop duo based in East Point, Georgia, consisting of Atlanta native André "André 3000" Benjamin and Savannah, Georgia-born Antwan "Big Boi" Patton. They were originally known as Two Shades Deep but later changed the group's name to OutKast...
made their public debut at Club Fritz, in West End.
- In the successful play Madea Goes to Jail by Tyler PerryTyler PerryTyler Perry is an American actor, director, playwright, entrepreneur, screenwriter, producer, author, and songwriter. Perry wrote and produced many stage plays during the 1990s and early 2000s. In 2005, he released his first film, Diary of a Mad Black Woman...
, Madea refers to the West End twice; first she says she lives in the West End, then says to the "country pimp" to try to cross Lee street or come to the 4200 block of Avon Avenue.
External links
- West End Neighborhood Development, WEND,Inc.
- "West End District", City of Atlanta Online - extensive information about history and architecture of West End
- Wren's Nest
- West End Newsletter "Our West End Newsletter"
- Hammonds House
- Fly By Theater
- Joe Brown High School