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![[photo] [photo]](buildings/cre1.jpg)
Crescent Apartments
National Register photograph by Yen Tang
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Built in 1899 for Cornelius Sheehan, member of a prominent Atlanta
family and owner of Greer's Almanac, this house was moved
in 1913 and converted into 10 apartments. Margaret Mitchell, author
of Gone With the Wind, lived in the ground floor Apartment
Number 1 from 1925 to 1932 with her husband John Marsh. Mitchell,
a former Atlanta Journal reporter, wrote the bulk of her
epic novel here between 1926 and 1930, while working at a manual
typewriter on a small table in the living-room alcove overlooking
Crescent Avenue. In 1932, Mitchell and her husband moved from the
declining Crescent Apartments to a nearby apartment on 17th Street
at Pershing Point where she finished editing the manuscript for
publication. In 1936, the book was published and became an instant
success selling more than 180,000 copies in the first month. Film
rights were quickly purchased by Selznick International Pictures
for a record-breaking price of $50,000. Within six months, more
than one million copies had been sold, and Margaret Mitchell was
awarded a Pulitzer Prize for 1936. The movie opened in 1939, premiering
in Atlanta. Mitchell's novel has been translated into 26 foreign
languages and sold approximately 30 million copies worldwide. Revered
by many, reviled by some, Gone With the Wind is arguably
the most popular and influential book ever written about the American
South.
![[photo] [photo]](buildings/cre2.jpg)
"The Dump," now a museum
National Register photograph by Yen Tang |
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Mitchell characterized her apartment on Crescent Avenue as "The Dump"
and as its condition worsened, the house became known by this moniker.
The once stylish turn-of-the-century home was eventually boarded up,
and in great disrepair. Dedicated preservationists raised funds for
its renovation in the 1990s, and opened the house to the public.
Crescent Apartments is located at 979 Crescent Ave. in north
Atlanta. It is open daily from 9:00am to 4:00pm; there is a fee
for admission. Call 404-249-7019 or visit the Margaret
Mitchell House and Museum website for more information.
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