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About The Old Fourth Ward
The Old Fourth Ward, also known as O4W, is located just east of Downtown Atlanta. Home of the Martin Luther King, Jr. historic site, the neighborhood has become a national symbol of gentrification.
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What is now the Old Fourth Ward is a smaller version of the historic Fourth Ward political area in place until the 1950s when the city changed to a district system. It is one of the oldest sections of the city, with the westernmost blocks developing soon after the Civil War. Different parts of the ward were, at different times, considered white, black, or mixed-race areas. From the 1910s onward, as Atlanta politicians moved to institutionalize racially-segregated residential areas, Old Fourth Ward continued as a rich patchwork of whites living as close neighbors with blacks.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Fourth_Ward
The foremost thoroughfare in today's Old Fourth Ward, Boulevard, was in the 1890s called "one of the most desirable residential streets in the city." However, after the Great Atlanta Fire of 1917, Boulevard's grand houses were destroyed and replaced by brick apartment buildings.
As with most of Intown Atlanta, the Old Fourth Ward declined precipitously during the 1950s and 1960s as wealthier residents moved further out from central neighborhoods. Streets, houses and businesses that sat upon the land that is now Freedom Parkway were also razed to make way for a freeway that was never built. What was once a consistent and dense grid pattern of streets is now difficult to recognize, with Freedom Parkway occupying what had once been multiple city blocks.
Boulevard in particular witnessed a steady decline. The road is lined with apartment buildings constructed after the Great Atlanta fire of 1917, most of which are now section 8 housing. Boulevard became infamous throughout Atlanta and beyond as a haven of drug activity, prostitution, and other crime, a reputation that endured into the 2010s, despite gentrification to the north, south, east and west of the street.
Gentrification of the Old Fourth Ward began in the 1980s, and continued at a more rapid pace during the first decade of the 2000s. New apartment and condo complexes with ground-floor retail sprung up, particularly along the BeltLine, Ponce de Leon Avenue, North Avenue, and Highland Avenue. New residents were attracted to the neighborhood due to its close proximity to Downtown, Midtown, Inman Park, and Virginia-Highland, its urban vibe, its walkability, and its cultural offerings. By the 2010s, Old Fourth Ward had become one of the most dynamic and sought-after areas of the city, winning Creative Loafing's 2010 award for "Best Bet for Next Hot 'Hood". The area, which remains majority black, has seen a huge influx of whites in recent decades. The trend began in the 1980s, and from 1980 to 2000, the area west of Boulevard went from 12% to 30% white and the area east of Boulevard went from went from 2% to 20% white.
In 2010, Creative Loafing awarded Old Fourth Ward "Best Bet for Next Hot 'Hood." In 2011, the neighborhood celebrated the opening of the Historic Fourth Ward Park and saw the kickoff of the Ponce City Market project.
Beltline
Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site
Studioplex Lofts are housed in a former cotton warehouse built in 1906. It was the first brick building in the city to be built as fireproof.
54 Columns is a sculpture park that integrates art and architecture by renowned artist Sol LeWitt. Commissioned by the Fulton County Arts Council, LeWitt's work comprised of 54 concrete pillars designed in a layout that references Atlanta's skyline.
Freedom Parkway bisects the Old Fourth Ward. During the 1960s, it was originally intended to be built as an expressway connecting Downtown Atlanta to the Stone Mountain Expressway. In the 1970s, after 500 homes were demolished, a rash of local protests and lawsuits resulted in Governor Jimmy Carter killing the project in the 1970s. After the city's selection for the 1996 Olympic Games in 1990, Mayor Maynard Jackson brokered a solution allowing the current parkway and linear park to be constructed through the neighborhood.
Ponce City Market was constructed in 1926 as a retail store, warehouse and regional office for the Sears, Roebuck and Company. The retail store closed in 1979 and the regional office shut down in 1987. In 1990, the City of Atlanta purchased the building with plans to place police and fire employees at the site. However, only one floor was ever occupied by the Atlanta police. In 2011, the 2 million square foot building was acquired by private-equity group, Jamestown. Jamestown plans to convert the structure into a retail complex featuring national and local retailers, restaurants, boutiques, offices, and residences. Jamestown, who also developed Chelsea Market in New York, plans to include a rooftop garden where local restaurants can grow food.
Historic Fourth Ward Park
Historic Fourth Ward Park opened in 2011 on the site of the old Ponce de Leon amusement park. The amusement park was developed at the site of Ponce de Leon Springs in 1872. At the end of a streetcar line, the amusement park closed in the early 1920s.
The Old Fourth Ward is located just east of downtown Atlanta and I-75/85.
Images by Ennis Davis
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Bill Hoff
October 11, 2012, 07:22:37 AMIf there was ever a comparison to SPR in Jax, that's it. The description & hx reads the same, just a smaller level....switch some of the names and you'd never know. I used to live not far from there as a child. Very cool to see it blossom (obviously I haven't visited in some time).
simms3
October 11, 2012, 08:36:39 AMCorrection: MLK Historic Site is more so in Sweet Auburn/Edgewood District, which you included here in this thread, but nobody considers that remotely O4W. In fact, arguably the old Sears building is in Poncey-Highlands, not O4W (but we're getting really extreme up here with defining neighborhoods...who's counting?)
Beltline is now pretty much open through there and CROWDED (had a sort of soft opening this past weekend with a big Streets Alive event where all the local streets were closed to vehicular traffic and live bands played along the Beltline). Also in addition to JT's project at Ponce City Market (2.1 million SF, mix of multifamily, retail, office, public space...was there for a party last night), the following are now UC as of the past week:
Bohemian House O4W (BOHO), 276 units, North American Properties
Somerset, 228 units, Perennial Properties
AMLI O4W II, 300 units (pic is of current structure, which will likely be mimiced), AMLI
Below are some summer photos I took of the area, people walking on Beltline before even open or finished (myself included):
Skate Park
Random infill:
Crossing over Ponce (now finished):
Same (will have bike ramp down to Ponce on this side when finished...and wide bike lanes on Ponce):
$180MM being poured into Ponce City Market (2.1 million SF former Sears warehouse and City Hall East):
One of the city's most popular restaurants Two Urban Licks is in building on right (can't see it here), it opens up to Beltline and features bocce ball and a view for its patrons:
Inside PCM from a recent tour I did:
My firm will be moving here in 2014 along with other major tech/research firms:
All of the following view is now UC with 3 projects:
Some really old photos of O4W Park. You didn't touch on this, but the whole purpose of the park was to prevent flooding. It was built in conjuction with the closing of the old Sears building, which was completely flooded on 1st two levels. The park acts as a gian reservoir when it rains, and it just so happens to connect to the Beltline and enhance the neighborhood. It's also a self sustaining park (solar powered, rain collection, recycled materials, etc etc...all Beltline Parks are this way).
Park lights:
From Roof of Ponce City Market on the Eastside by city_simmons, on Flickr
Masquerade Nightclub...an old 19th century mill:
thelakelander
October 11, 2012, 08:42:40 AMI was just going by the City of Atlanta's definitions.
http://174.37.215.145/government/planning/o4w.aspx
I was wondering about that but evidently Sweet Auburn/Edgewood was an original part of the 4th Ward as well.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta_annexations
thelakelander
October 11, 2012, 08:50:51 AMHow long is the completed segment of the Beltline? I'll have to remember to ride it the next time I'm up there.
It appeared to be a reservoir. Do you know how much it cost and how was it funded?
simms3
October 11, 2012, 08:53:28 AMYou need to email me on your next visit. I live here
No. No comparison. Grant Park is Springfield's comparison, and for SFR rehabs Inman Park housing area is also a good comparison, and there are others, but they are still rundown areas that Springfield can't look "up" to.
simms3
October 11, 2012, 11:11:43 AM1) 2.2 miles I think. You can pretty much walk/bike about 75% of the 22 mile length at this point, but the "Eastside Trail" from Piedmont Park through Inman Park is more or less complete with wide bike patch and above grade road crossings. You also captured a photo of the PATH's Stone Mountain/Freedom Trail (the first urban bike path with "2 lanes" in Atlanta...it is connected to the Eastside Trail now so intown residents can essentially bike to Stone Mountain 15 miles out if they so wish). Other improvements will include bike ramps down to major thoroughfares like Ponce where bike lanes will soon be created. Of course LRT is coming much later, but TSPLOST would have put LRT on this route and others within 3-4 years.
2) From http://www.h4wpc.com/