Martin Luther King, Jr. Historic Resource Study

Description of Historic Resources

The Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site is a small, urban park located in the city of Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia. Containing approximately 38 acres, 4.78 of which are federally owned, the park lies 1-1/4 miles east of the central business district (see Map 1). The park commemorates the life and accomplishments of Martin Luther King, Jr., a prominent leader of the American Civil Rights Movement during the 1950s and 1960s. Federal legislation established the Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site and Preservation District on October 10, 1980, to "protect and interpret for the benefit, inspiration, and education of present and future generations the places where Martin Luther King, Junior, was born, where he lived, worked, and worshipped, and where he is buried." [1]

Historic resources within the park include the houses along the block where King was born (Birth-Home Block), Ebenezer Baptist Church where King, his father, and grandfather were pastors, and commercial buildings along Edgewood Avenue. As noted, the legislation identifies the grave site of King as a resource requiring protection and interpretation. Since 1971, the King Center has housed the grave site, consisting of the marble crypt and eternal flame. The King Center, a modern complex built between 1971 and 1981, also includes a memorial plaza with a fountain, interpretive exhibits, a restaurant, and administrative offices. The National Park Service (NPS) does not contribute to interpretive programs at the grave site. However, NPS does maintain the grave site at the King Center and conducts tours of the Birth Home.

The 1980 legislation (Public Law 96-428) creating the Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site authorized a 23.78-acre park roughly bounded by Jackson Street on the west, Old Wheat Street on the north, Howell Street on the east, and the rear property lines on the south side of Edgewood Avenue. The Reclamation Projects Authorization and Adjustment Act of 1992, enacted October 30, 1992, expanded the park boundaries to include properties lying between Jackson Street and Boulevard north to Cain Street.

The Martin Luther King, Jr., Preservation District (Preservation District), also established in the 1980 legislation, adjoins the Site on the east, north, and west and embraces the larger Auburn Avenue black community in which King grew up. The Preservation District links King's career to the black business, religious, social, and political organizations that flourished along Auburn Avenue prior to and during King's lifetime (see Map 2).

Two National Register districts, the Martin Luther King, Jr., Historic District and the Sweet Auburn Historic District, were established in the 1970s and commemorate King and the historic Atlanta east-side black community. The Martin Luther King, Jr., Historic District was placed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1977. The 1980 Martin Luther King, Jr., Preservation District, established by the Site's enabling legislation, includes all property listed in the 1974 historic district. The Sweet Auburn Historic District was made a National Historic Landmark in 1976. In addition, the city of Atlanta, through the Atlanta Urban Design Commission, established the Martin Luther King, Jr., Landmark District in 1989, consolidating two existing city preservation districts. Most of these districts overlap within the Site, providing protection through federal programs and local zoning ordinances.

The areas included in this nomination, herein referred to as Site, include 22.4 acres of the expanded 38-acre Site (see Section 10). The Site is irregularly shaped and roughly bounded by Jackson Street on the west, Auburn Avenue on the north from Jackson to Boulevard, Old Wheat Street on the north between Boulevard and Howell Street, Howell Street on the east, and the rear property lines on the south side of Edgewood Avenue (see Map 2).

The architectural resources of the Site primarily represent the formative years of King's life, from 1929 through 1948, rather than the events for which he subsequently gained national and international recognition. Although much of his civil rights activity occurred outside Atlanta, King resided in Atlanta from 1960 to 1968. He also established a base of operations for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in the city in 1957. Most of the resources within the Site are important for interpreting King's youth; Ebenezer Baptist Church is the only significant Site resource associated with King's adult career.

Most properties within the Site front one of two avenues running east and west, Auburn Avenue and Edgewood Avenue. Current land use within the Site is mostly residential on Auburn Avenue and largely commercial on Edgewood Avenue. The Site is located in a predominantly black residential and commercial area characterized by low-income housing in poor condition and moderate commercial activity on Edgewood and along Auburn Avenue west of the Site. The Martin Luther King, Jr., Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Inc. (King Center), is located on the west side of the Site and occupies an entire city block.

Auburn Avenue Development

The Site lies approximately a mile and a quarter from the central business district and represents the commercial and residential growth advanced by streetcar expansion. In 1884, the Gate City Street Railroad Company constructed a horsecar line which traveled from the central business district along Pryor Street to Wheat Street (later changed to Auburn Avenue) and along Wheat to Jackson Street, then north on Jackson. This streetcar line provided direct access to downtown and spurred residential development along Auburn Avenue. In 1889, entrepreneur Joel Hurt operated Atlanta's first electric street railway along Edgewood Avenue linking downtown and the suburb of Inman Park. In the 1890s, existing horsecar lines were electrified, and new electric streetcar lines were built. By the mid-1890s, streetcar lines on Auburn and Edgewood avenues provided commuters direct access from their homes to jobs and shopping downtown. [2]

Beginning in 1880, the heirs of John Lynch began to divide and sell his large property holdings along Auburn Avenue between Jackson and Howland (now Howell). Some residential development was evident, but it was located primarily north of Auburn Avenue. 521 Auburn Avenue, built on property formerly part of the John Lynch estate between 1882 and 1888, was an early residence on Auburn Avenue east of Boulevard. It is the only extant residence built prior to 1890 within the Site. Other residences appeared in rapid succession beginning in the 1890s. By 1899, most lots along Auburn between Jackson and Howell were developed, although denser residential development remained west. The residences within the Site varied in size and type, but most were two-story wood dwellings with one-story rear extensions. The north side of Auburn Avenue between Hogue and Howell has shallow, narrow lots occupied by seven two-story dwellings. Access to the rear of the north side lots was off Old Wheat Street The south side, however, developed less rigorously. This resulted in larger lots and fewer houses, with varied, and deeper, setbacks from the street. Access to the rear of the southside lots was by driveways off of Auburn Avenue.

Small-scale commercial development accompanied residential growth. Several corner stores and restaurants served Auburn Avenue residents. One was located on the northwest corner of Boulevard and Auburn. Another corner grocery, located across from the Birth Home on the northwest corner of Hogue and Auburn was operated by a succession of white merchants in a building constructed in 1909 (502 Auburn). During the 1920s, a small, one-room building (521-1/2 Auburn Avenue) was intermittently operated as a soda fountain and cafe, in front of 521 Auburn Avenue. Another small building, located at 57 Howell, housed a restaurant during the 1930s. The Jenkins family, owners of the parcel of land in the triangle bounded by Auburn, Old Wheat and Howell streets, built two store buildings (554 and 556 Auburn) adjacent to their residence at 550 Auburn. The buildings, now demolished, were leased to a series of white grocers and butchers. The original residence was divided into apartments ca. 1900, and the Jenkins family owned the properties until 1963.

Two churches, Ebenezer Baptist and Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, are located within the Site. In 1912, the Catholic church constructed a three-story stone church and school building. Fire Station Number Six occupied the southeast corner of Auburn and Boulevard and served the surrounding residential community, consisting primarily of wood structures, beginning in 1894. [3]

In 1905, the Empire State Investment Company developed the northeast corner of Auburn and Boulevard. Empire bought the unimproved property from Adolphus Tittlebaum for $3650 and built nine duplex dwellings that occupied half of the block between Boulevard and Hogue. One of the lots was sold in November 1905 for $1800 as a rental property. These double shotgun dwellings were a sharp break from the existing houses on Auburn but were typical of dwellings to the north. They also represented the first low-cost rental housing built in the Site. [4]

Prior to 1900, Auburn Avenue east of Jackson Street developed as a predominantly white, middle-class residential district. Single-family, one and two-story houses constructed in the 1890s lined principal streets. Some multiple-family dwellings were present, but the majority were large, modestly decorated houses. Many had stables and wood and coal sheds in the rear. When Empire constructed the nine duplexes, it foreshadowed a change, suggesting that multiple-family housing was in demand in the area. Many multiple-family units were constructed on alleys or subdivided portions of original lots. The 1906 race riot, fought in the streets and on the streetcars less than a mile away, also influenced the course of development on Auburn Avenue.

Between 1909 and 1910, most white-occupied houses on the Birth-Home Block were sold or leased to blacks. By 1920, the Auburn Avenue neighborhood was overwhelmingly black. Auburn Avenue comprised the southern boundary of a developing black middle-class neighborhood which adjoined Morris Brown College, established in 1881 and located at Boulevard and Irwin Street. [5] But not all neighborhood residents were middle class. Many were service workers or manual laborers. Several duplex residences were constructed between 1911 and 1928 behind the larger homes on Auburn Avenue and on alleys accessed from Edgewood Avenue to the south. The larger houses on Auburn were occupied by black professionals and business people. The multiple-family dwellings and the small, two- and three-room houses sheltered working-class families. [6]

Auburn Avenue west of Jackson, within the Preservation District but outside the Site, developed as a black business enclave following the race riot of 1906, when many black businesses left downtown. Businesses ranged from small retail concerns like groceries and barber shops to banks and insurance companies serving the Atlanta black community. Black entrepreneurs developed a number of commercial buildings in this area, including the three-story Rucker Building of 1904 (158-160 Auburn Avenue) and the four-story Herndon Building of 1926 (231-245 Auburn Avenue). The six-story Odd Fellows Building, constructed in 1912, and its adjacent 1913 auditorium building (228-250 Auburn Avenue) were important centers of black business and social life. Auburn Avenue remained a center of black business activity into the 1950s. [7]

Although the black business district west of Jackson continued to prosper between 1920 and 1950, Auburn Avenue and surrounding residential streets failed to attract or keep community residents engaged in professional occupations. By 1930, few middle-class residents remained on Auburn Avenue. This decline manifested itself in various ways. Several multiple-family dwellings were constructed on the Birth-Home Block and adjacent streets. Apartment houses at 509 Auburn (later demolished) and 506 Auburn were built in 1925 and 1933, respectively. Another quadraplex at 54 Howell Street was constructed in 1931 and subdivided an already crowded house lot. During the 1930s, Auburn Avenue witnessed the subdivision of single-family dwellings, the deterioration of its housing, and increased tenancy. By 1940, the U.S. Census reported that two-thirds of the dwelling units in the Site were in disrepair and 77 percent lacked a private bath. [8]

By 1940, few people living on Auburn could afford to own their homes, and the area had become increasingly transient. Most tenants remained less than five years. [9] Most residents had little money for house maintenance, and by the late 1930s Martin Luther King, Sr., described the Birth-Home Block neighborhood as "running down." He moved his family to a house several blocks away on Boulevard in 1941. [10] Between 1930 and 1950, Auburn Avenue increasingly became an impoverished black working-class district. In the 1960s, when housing options for blacks in other parts of the city expanded again, the Auburn Avenue area began to decline more rapidly. [11]

The historic streetscape features of Auburn Avenue are essential in establishing the physical context in which King was born, where he lived, and where he worked. The major spatial relationships that define the streetscape within the Birth-Home block, have remained relatively constant since its development in the late nineteenth century. A fairly consistent right-of-way on Auburn has been maintained, measuring fifty-eight to sixty feet wide within which a forty-foot wide (curb to curb) two-way traffic lane is centered.

According to City Council records, brick sidewalks were laid with granite curbing along both sides of Auburn Avenue through the Birth-Home block as early as the 1890s. This predates the paving of the street in this area by at least a decade. Boulevard, where the street car line turned north off Auburn Avenue, often marks a transition point in the city services, and records show that in 1913 residents east of Boulevard petitioned to have Auburn paved from Boulevard to Randolph. Although the date of the first paving of this area of Auburn Avenue is not clear from the records, City Council minutes do show that in 1922 the "old pavement" was "condemned" from Boulevard to Randolph Street and was to be repaved with concrete. At this time, the existing brick sidewalks along Auburn Avenue were also to be replaced with concrete walks with the granite curbs retained. [12] Remnants of the original brick sidewalks survive at the northwest corner of Howell Street and Auburn Avenue and along the north side of Auburn Avenue, in the triangle east of Howell Street. An original stretch of the exposed river-stone aggregate sidewalk that was poured in the 1920s exists along the north side of Auburn Avenue between Hogue Street and Howell street.

In 1924 an ordinance calling for the paving of Howell Street NE was passed and specified to be "Extra Vibrolithic concrete, six inches thick." City Council records make no mention of the street surfaces along Old Wheat and Hogue, but by the 1937 Cadastral Survey both of these streets were paved with concrete, with granite curbs. Old Wheat Street never had sidewalks, and the earlier brick sidewalks remain along Howell Street, although Hogue Street sidewalks were concrete according to the 1937 Cadastral survey. [13] These original concrete sidewalks still exist along Hogue Street between Auburn Avenue and Old Wheat Street.

Commercial Corridor Development

The commercial strip along Edgewood Avenue typifies business districts, developed between 1890 and 1930, located along streetcar lines that emanated from American downtowns. Streetcars facilitated the expansion of metropolitan areas through increased residential and commercial growth. Neighborhood shopping districts developed to serve the new residential areas and replicated the land-use patterns established in downtown business districts. These outlying commercial areas also extended the central business district and represented the city's expanding commercial perimeter.

Edgewood Avenue developed initially as a residential area. In 1899, one- and two-story frame dwellings dominated the street from Piedmont to Randolph. Within the Site, most homes were modest L-plan cottages, shotguns, or duplexes. Vacant lots dotted Edgewood Avenue with denser residential development south and east towards the railroad corridor and west toward the central business district. Two large, two-story dwellings, typical of older residential development, occupied the northeast and northwest corners of Jackson and Edgewood. Several properties had stables and coal sheds behind the houses. Most houses were located close to the street with front or side porches. Lot size varied considerably with the larger lots often crowded with two or more dwellings.

Several corner stores, adjacent to dwellings, catered to the community along Edgewood at Howell, on Boulevard, and on Chamberlin (now Chamberlain) Street. A large church, the Fourth Presbyterian Church, served the community at Chamberlin and Jackson. Similar to Auburn Avenue, Edgewood was racially mixed between 1890 and 1905. West of Boulevard was predominantly black, and east of Boulevard was predominantly white. After 1905, commercial buildings began replacing residences along Edgewood Avenue extending from downtown to the east. Compared to Auburn, Edgewood Avenue developed earlier commercially, but never gained the popularity of "Sweet Auburn's" black commercial district. In addition, the commercial development along Edgewood catered to white business interests, although black workers likely were employed at some concerns.

In the first decade of the twentieth century, Edgewood Avenue between Jackson and Daniel Street developed as a commercial and light industrial district, with one- and two-story commercial buildings ultimately replacing almost all residences. East of Daniel Street remained mostly residential until the late 1930s, although many homes on the north side of Edgewood were removed, and the lots left vacant. B. D. Watkins, a real estate developer associated with Asa Candler, president and majority owner of the Coca-Cola Company, built seven two-story brick buildings in 1908 and 1909. Another businessman, Marvin P. Roane, financed two buildings in 1906 and 1909. These two men contributed greatly to the commercial development of Edgewood Avenue.

In 1911, Edgewood Avenue hosted a variety of businesses including retail stores, a bottling company, coffee roasting, and electric motor manufacturing. By 1925, industrial concerns flourished, and a brush factory, peanut butter factory, another bottling company, auto storage, and a filling station lined Edgewood. Typically, the buildings' tenants were white and operated groceries, dry goods stores, liquor stores, cleaners, barber/beauty shops, pawn shops, upholstering, plumbing, shoemaking, cabinet making, auto repair, and auto parts supply shops and served a racially mixed working-class clientele. [15]

Between 1908 and 1927, the commercial development of Edgewood Avenue had reached its peak. The south side of Edgewood had two blocks of nearly continuous buildings between Fitzgerald and Daniel. These buildings, constructed by Watkins and others, were situated on short narrow lots with their front elevations abutting the sidewalk. Little vegetation obscured the buildings in the commercial area. Glassed storefronts commonly characterized the street level facades. As private automobiles increasingly dominated the streets, painted signs on the facades of buildings advertised the stores' goods and where customers could park.

Several automobile-related buildings, two service stations and a drive-in store, were constructed just before and after World War II. The 1946 Circle Drive-In Liquor store incorporated elements of Moderne architecture. This building has suffered neglect, for many years serving as a storage area for Danneman's grocery store to the east. It currently houses a cafe for the homeless. Three other post-war buildings replaced residential buildings formerly located between Daniel and Howell. Most of these buildings provided parking in front with the buildings set back from the sidewalk. The most notable, the McDonald Sheet Metal Company, influenced by the International style, is still occupied by an industrial concern.

As the residential areas in the Auburn Avenue vicinity declined, the businesses along Edgewood also suffered deterioration. Suburban growth, outlying shopping malls, and industrial parks further diminished the economic function of these commercial and industrial corridors. In addition, the construction of Interstates 75/85 bisected the continuous commercial corridor along Edgewood emanating from downtown, thus isolating the eastern commercial area. Many buildings continue to house business concerns, and some economic revitalization is occurring. However, vacant lots, both historic and due to loss of buildings, and deteriorating buildings still characterize these corridors.

Currently, the most intact historic area of Auburn Avenue lies between Boulevard and Howell and commonly is referred to as the Birth-Home Block, because it includes the birthplace of Martin Luther King, Jr. This area contains the oldest residential resources and the highest level of integrity. Located on this portion of Auburn are twenty-three historic residences constructed between circa 1886 and 1933. These feature large Queen Anne style residences juxtaposed with smaller double-shotguns. The National Park Service has rehabilitated many of these dwellings, restoring the exteriors to the 1929-1941 period of significance. Two lots, 502, which contained a house and store, and 509, which had an apartment building, are now vacant. One modern intrusion is located at 531 Auburn Avenue and consists of two 1954 brick apartment buildings, on a lot formerly containing four wood dwellings comprising the Baptist Memorial Institute School.

Many of the landscape features that characterized the Birth-Home Block during the 1929-1941 period remain intact. These structures were constructed during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and include resources associated with individual dwellings, such walls and fences, and streetscape features such as sidewalks and alleys. These resources comprise residential landscapes and historic streetscapes and provide an understanding of the environment in which Martin Luther King, Jr., was reared. Individual landscape features have been included in the List of Classified Structures and documented in the Cultural Landscape Report. Representative examples of landscape features are described below.

West of the Birth-Home Block lies the King Center, the modern city of Atlanta community center and natatorium, and Ebenezer Baptist Church. Prior to 1960s urban renewal, this portion of Auburn Avenue consisted of wood, one- and two-story dwellings, likely similar to those farther east. The church, completed in 1922, anchors the western portion of Auburn Avenue historically but is now isolated from the Site's other historic resources. Farther west lies the historic Sweet Auburn district which served the black residential community to the east.

Thirteen additional dwellings complete the historic residential resources adjacent to the principal Birth-Home Block dwellings: three shotgun houses on an alley off of Auburn Avenue, three duplexes on Old Wheat Street, one duplex on Boulevard, five residences with Craftsman-style elements on Howell Street, and one on Hogue Street. These remaining resources are in various stages of deterioration. The buildings on Old Wheat and Howell streets are most endangered. The Birth-Home Block represents the southern edge of a substantial late nineteenth and early twentieth century black middle-class residential community roughly bounded by Jackson on the west, Randolph Street on the east, and Forrest Avenue on the north. Housing in this community ranged from plain two- to three-room houses to modest two-story wood dwellings. The 1917 fire destroyed many homes in this community, and the construction of Interstate 75/85 further obliterated evidence of the community. [16]

Edgewood Avenue, within the Site, is entirely commercial with sixteen brick buildings constructed prior to 1916, three additional buildings erected between 1920 and 1945, and the remaining twelve buildings representative of post-war construction. Historic resources are concentrated around the intersection of Boulevard and Edgewood Avenue and represent a growth spurt between 1908 and 1915.

A second characteristic of Edgewood Avenue is the preponderance of vacant lots and nonhistoric buildings. East of the Boulevard, the historic integrity of Edgewood Avenue buildings decreases both in quantity and quality. The Roane Building, constructed in 1906, stands alone on the southwest corner of Edgewood and Howell Street, a full block away from any other historic buildings. At one time, one- and two-story wood dwellings occupied Edgewood Avenue east of Boulevard, an extension of the residential area to the north. When these residences were removed, many between 1928 and 1936, the lots either remained vacant or had postwar commercial buildings erected on them. Vacant, undeveloped lots have characterized Edgewood Avenue throughout the period from 1880 to the present. Edgewood Avenue also has suffered significant losses of historic commercial buildings in the past ten years. Buildings at 410, 414, 461-465, and 491-493 Edgewood are gone. One of the last remaining residences at 528 Edgewood, built in 1895, also has vanished.

Descriptions of Contributing Properties

Buildings

407-413 Auburn Avenue, 1914-1922 (IDLCS# 90002). Ebenezer Baptist Church is a two-story, rectangular, brick, Gothic Revival church with a gable roof and two large towers flanking the main elevation. The lower level, which contains the meeting hall, is covered with gray stucco and scored to resemble stone. Two story buttresses divide the side elevations into nine bays containing stained glass lancet windows. Brick beltcourses, panels, corbels and window hoods ornament the front and side elevations. The auditorium is an open, rectangular space, with the pulpit and choir elevated on a platform and a balcony across the rear of the sanctuary. The education building was constructed in 1956; in 1971, a new front was placed on it.

449 Auburn Avenue, 1976 (IDLCS# 90045). The Martin Luther King, Jr., grave site consists of a large white marble sarcophagus with a stepped base and a projecting cap. The sarcophagus is sited on a circular island in a pool, which is part of a memorial plaza that incorporates cascading pools, a fountain, and the Freedom Walk, a barrel-vaulted arcade. The narrow end of the sarcophagus, which faces Auburn Avenue, carries the inscription, "REV. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR./1929-1968/Free at Last, Free at Last/Thank God Almighty/I'm Free at Last."

472-474 (IDLCS# 23361), 476-478 (IDLCS# 23363), 480-[482] [17] (IDLCS# 90003), and 484-[486] Auburn Avenue (IDLCS# 90004), 1905. Four identical hip-roofed double shotgun houses with weatherboard siding that have been rehabilitated by the NPS. Each unit of each duplex has a hip-roofed entry porch with turned posts, sawn brackets, and a plain stick balustrade. After rehabilitation, 472-474 and 476-478 remained duplexes. while 480-482 and 484-486 were converted to single-family residences. The rehabilitation connected the decks of the separate front porches on each unit.

488-[490] Auburn Avenue, 1905 (IDLCS# 90005). Hip-roofed double shotgun house with weatherboard siding. Parallel hip-roofed porches have turned posts, sawn brackets, and a plain stick balustrade. NPS rehabilitation, which will convert structure to a single-family house, was ongoing at time of survey.

491-[493] Auburn Avenue, 1911 (IDLCS# 90047). A small, rectangular-plan apartment building with a hip roof and a recessed, two-story, full-facade porch. The building has square porch posts and exposed rafter ends. Asbestos siding now sheaths the building, presumably covering original weatherboards.

493 Auburn Avenue, rear units 1-2 (IDLCS# 90007), 3-4 (IDLCS# 90008), 5-6 (IDLCS# 90009), 1911. Three identical two-room-deep double shotguns are on an alley behind the Birth Block. Each has a hip roof, a combined front porch with turned posts, milled brackets, and a shed roof.

497 Auburn Avenue, ca. 1900 (IDLCS# 90010). A two-story, single-family house with Queen Anne elements. The house has a hip roof with a front-facing cross gable and an addition at the rear. The one-story full-facade porch has a wide entablature with dentils and a stick balustrade, while the gable end features a sunburst motif, decorative shingles and a double vent. In the back yard is a small frame storage shed, oriented 45 degrees from the lot line, built circa 1933-1935.

501 Auburn Avenue, ca. 1894 (IDLCS# 90011). This two-story, single-family home, the birthplace of Martin Luther King, Jr., was restored by the NPS. The house incorporates a number of Queen Anne stylistic elements: irregular massing, a side entrance, a hip roof with lower cross gables, decorative shingles in the gable ends, and a wrap-around porch with turned posts, milled brackets, and a plain, openwork balustrade.

503 Auburn Avenue, ca. 1895 (IDLCS# 90012). A two-story house with Queen Anne elements. The house features a hip roof with a front-facing gable and an addition at the rear. Beneath the shingle-clad gable end is a three-sided cutaway bay with a jigsawn panel at the second story. A one-story porch supported on brick piers and square columns runs across the facade. One pier lacks a post, which may originally have been present. The front yard has five granite steps leading to the house from the sidewalk, built ca. 1895-1915.

506 Auburn Avenue, 1933 (IDLCS# 90013). A plain, four-unit apartment building that may have been built as a duplex. The building has a hip roof and a recessed, two-story, full-facade porch carried on brick piers and square posts. An NPS rehabilitation is scheduled for completion in 1993.

510 Auburn Avenue, ca. 1890 (IDLCS# 90014). A two-story house with a hip roof, a front-facing gable over a cutaway bay, and a single-story, full-facade porch. Surviving Queen Anne features include turned porch posts and sawn brackets, a diamond-shaped window next to the main entrance, and decorative shingles in the gable end. Alterations include asphalt siding over weatherboards, an exterior stair to the second floor on the west, boarded up windows, and probable removal of brackets over the cutaway bay. In the back yard is an eighteen-inch-high, thirty-foot-long rubble stone wall running parallel to back lot line, built ca. 1895-1945.

514 Auburn Avenue, 1893 (IDLCS# 23362). A two-story house with Queen Anne elements, possibly converted from a single-family to a duplex at an early point in its history. Rehabilitated by the NPS, the house retains decorative trusswork and a circular vent in the gable end and has two additions at the rear. Two-story, full-facade porch with fluted posts. Along the east property line is brick and stone wall with a partial stucco finish, built ca. 1895-1945. The wall ranges from two to four feet in height.

515 Auburn Avenue, 1909 (IDLCS# 90015). A vernacular gabled-ell house, with several additions, that was converted from a single-family residence to a duplex. The roof is complex with two hipped portions and a front-facing gable. The wraparound porch displays Tuscan columns.

518 Auburn Avenue, ca. 1893 (IDLCS# 90016). A two-story house with Queen Anne elements. Two front-facing gables project from the hip roof. The western gabled projection is probably an addition, and a three-sided cutaway bay is beneath the eastern gable end. Both gable ends have decorative shingles, horseshoe-shaped vents, and pent eaves. One-story, full-facade porch has fluted square posts and deep entablature. Leading to the porch is a three- to four-foot-wide concrete front walk with a rolled curb and V-shaped gutter, built ca. 1895-1915.

521 Auburn Avenue, ca. 1886 (IDLCS# 90017). One-and-one-half-story Georgian cottage with Italianate details, including a molded cornice with brackets and hooded doors and windows. House has three-sided bay windows on the east and west and a decked pyramidal roof with six dormers, two of which appear to be later additions. House has been subdivided; original sheathing now obscured by asphalt shingles and asbestos tile; porch details have been removed. The porch is reached by a four-foot-wide concrete front walk, scored in a diamond pattern, built ca. 1890-1915.

521-1/2 Auburn Avenue, ca. 1920 (IDLCS# 90018). Plain, rectangular store building with front-facing gable roof and pent canopy over entrance. Original weatherboards are now obscured by asphalt roll and asbestos siding.

522 Auburn Avenue, ca. 1894 (IDLCS# 23326). A two-story frame house with Queen Anne elements. House has a hip roof with a front-facing cross gable over a cutaway bay with a jigsawn second-story panel. Decorative shingles and horseshoe-shaped vent appear in the gable end. Porch has turned posts, sawn brackets, an openwork frieze, and a stick balustrade. Former home of Antoine Graves, a prominent black real estate broker. Rehabilitated by the NPS and now used as a visitors' center. East of the house is a six-and-one-half-foot stone and brick retaining wall, built ca. 1895-1920.

526 Auburn Avenue, ca. 1895 (IDLCS# 23365). Two-story frame house with Queen Anne elements, similar in configuration to 522 Auburn. Porch differs in having square posts and a deep entablature. Decorative shingles, a circular vent, and a pent eave are present in the gable end. Now used by the NPS for administrative offices.

530 Auburn, ca. 1895 (IDLCS# 90019). Two-story frame house with hip roof, front-facing projecting gable, and rear additions. Similar to other Queen Anne houses on Auburn, but most details are removed or obscured by asphalt siding. Post supports are cast-iron replacements. Diamond-shaped vent in gable end and circular window flanking entrance remain. Enclosing the front yard is a three foot-high cast iron fence with arched tops and a star motif, built ca. 1895- 1915. West of the house along the property line with 526 Auburn is a brick and stone wall approximately three feet high, built ca. 1895-1915.

535 Auburn Avenue, ca. 1895 (IDLCS# 90020). Two-story frame house with Queen Anne elements. House has a rear addition, a hip roof with front-facing gable over a cutaway bay, and one-story full-facade porch with brackets, stick frieze, and a balustrade with missing sections. Asbestos shingles cover weatherboards. House is severely deteriorated with boarded-up windows and some uncovered openings and broken windows. Former home of Charles L. Harper, first black high school principal in Atlanta.

540 Auburn Avenue, ca. 1890 (IDLCS# 23368). One-story, Vernacular T-plan frame house with complex roof configuration, rear addition, and front-facing cross gable. Front porch has chamfered posts and sawn brackets and trim. Rehabilitated in the early 1980s.

546 Auburn Avenue, ca. 1900 (IDLCS# 23370). This vernacular gable-front-and wing house with millwork decoration retains its early additions at the rear. The house has weatherboard siding and a porch with chamfered posts and sawn brackets and trim. Rehabilitated in the early 1980s.

550 Auburn Avenue, ca. 1890 (IDLCS# 23367). A two-story, U-plan frame residence with a hip roof and two front-facing gables on either side of a two story porch. The shingled gable ends are bordered by pent eaves. The house was converted to apartments, and the western portion of the house is apparently an addition. Two-story porch at rear. Rehabilitated in the early 1980s.

29 Boulevard, 1912 (IDLCS# 90040). Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church is a three-story, stone and brick building with a hip roof. It is a plain building with most of the exterior ornamentation associated with the two- and three-part jalousie windows, which replaced the original windows at an unknown date. The church was originally housed in the first floor with the classrooms and auditorium above.

37-39 Boulevard, 1894 (IDLCS# 90039). Fire Station Number Six is a two-story, brick Romanesque Revival style building with a shed roof and decorative parapet. A single arched engine bay is flanked by pedestrian entrances, windows and an asymmetrically-placed tower with date panel. Bands of windows, arched on the Boulevard facade, are found at the second level. Elaborate brickwork includes corbels, door and window surrounds, a diaper-patterned frieze, and a machicolated cornice.

53-55 Boulevard, ca. 1905 (IDLCS# 23364). Hip-roofed double shotgun house with weatherboard siding. Parallel hip-roofed entry porches have turned posts, sawn brackets, and a plain stick balustrade.

420 Edgewood Avenue, 1912. A two-story, three-bay, rectangular-shaped commercial building with shed roof and stepped parapet. It is constructed of brick with side and rear segmental arched windows. Decorative elements include corbeled brickwork and a stamped-metal cornice.

438-442 Edgewood Avenue, 1939. A brick garage with a hemispherical roof and stepped parapet. The three-part facade maintains its original fenestration and the pump island and shelter remain at the front of the lot. A one-story masonry addition of 1946-1953 adjoins the east side of the garage.

439-441 Edgewood Avenue, 1920. A two-story, brick, parallelogram-shaped commercial building with a shed roof and parapet. This duplex contains two storefronts with display windows and recessed entrances. Decorative elements include brick panels, a corbeled cornice and stone corner blocks.

443-445 Edgewood Avenue, 1909 (IDLCS# 23327). A one-story, brick, parallelogram-shaped commercial building with a shed roof and parapet. This duplex contains two wood-and-glass storefronts surmounted by molded, panelled and bracketed cornice. Altered in 1961 and rehabilitated by the NPS in 1984.

444-446 Edgewood Avenue, 1909. A two-story, brick commercial building with evidence of a shed roof. This duplex contains two wood-and-glass storefronts with segmental-arched double windows and corbeled cornice above. Only the exterior walls remain. Altered 1911-1922 and in 1961.

447 Edgewood Avenue, 1909. A two-story, beige brick, parallelogram-shaped commercial building with a shed roof and parapet. Wood-and-glass storefront is surmounted by two triple windows at the second level and an elaborate brick entablature.

451 Edgewood Avenue, 1915. A one-story, beige brick, parallelogram-shaped building with a shed roof. The symmetrical wood-and-glass storefront is sheltered by a bracketed pent roof.

458 Edgewood Avenue, 1946. A small, one-story, concrete-block Art Moderne commercial building with a shed roof. Commercial buildings with Art Moderne features are rare in the Atlanta area. This building features rounded brick corners, glass block, pigmented glass, oculi and aluminum coping. A small, shed-roofed addition has been added to the rear of the building.

464-468 Edgewood Avenue, 1909. A large, two-story, brick commercial block with a shed roof and corbeled parapet. Fenestration is irregular with many windows and doors bricked in. Alterations of ca. 1930 and ca. 1955 have left little of the early twentieth century storefronts.

467 Edgewood Avenue, 1911. A two-story, brick commercial building with a shed roof and plain stone cornice. Main facade features a symmetrical, wood-and glass storefront with a recessed entrance and a triple window at the second level. Fenestration on the east facade is irregular with a series of double windows at the second level. Painted wall signs are found throughout, see page 78.

476-480 Edgewood Avenue, 1909 (IDLCS# 90030). A large, two-story, brick commercial block with a shed roof and stepped parapet. Three wood-and-glass storefronts face Edgewood and are capped with a stamped-metal cornice. Second floor includes arched windows paired within a large brick arch. Elaborate brickwork is found throughout, see pages 80-81.

482 Edgewood Avenue, 1908 (IDLCS# 90031). A one-story, brick commercial building with a shed roof and parapet. Symmetrical wood-and-glass storefront is surmounted by a stamped-metal cornice and decorative brick entablature, see page 79.

483 Edgewood Avenue, 1908. A two-story, brick commercial building with a shed roof and corbeled brick cornice. Wood-and-glass storefront and tiled, recessed entrance is flanked by entrance to second floor. Three double windows at the second level feature stone sills and lintels above. The building has been rehabilitated.

485 Edgewood Avenue, 1908. A two-story, brick commercial building with a shed roof and corbeled brick cornice. Wood-and-glass storefront with recessed entrance is flanked by entrance to second floor. Three double windows at the second level feature stone sills and brick lintels.

487 Edgewood Avenue, 1909. A two-story, brick commercial building with a shed roof. Wood-and-glass storefront with recessed entrance is flanked by entrance to second floor and framed by stamped-metal piers and cornice. Second level contains two triple windows. Entablature is covered with sheet metal and two rear windows have been bricked-in.

488 Edgewood Avenue, 1909 (IDLCS# 90035). A two-story, brick commercial building with a shed roof and corbeled brick cornice. Wood-and-glass storefront with recessed entrance is flanked by entrance to second floor. Symmetrical wood-and-glass storefront is capped by a stamped-metal cornice. Two double windows at second level contain segmental brick arches and stone sills. Evidence of painted wall sign on east elevation. Rehabilitated ca. 1986.

489 Edgewood Avenue, 1909. A two-story, brick commercial building with a shed roof and corbeled brick cornice. Wood-and-glass storefront with recessed entrance is flanked by entrance to second floor and framed by stamped-metal piers and cornice. Second level contains two triple windows with stone sills and lintels. Entablature features corbeled and panelled brick elements.

510 Edgewood Avenue, 1947 (IDLCS# 90037). A two-story, flat-roofed, brick-and-concrete-block International style building with a gable-roofed, concrete-block structure at rear. A central tower is flanked by two wings, containing multiple roof levels, ribbon windows, boxed overhangs, white-stuccoed wall surfaces and a recessed main entrance. The base of the building and elements of the tower are constructed of red brick with flush vertical joints and bands of darker brick, more characteristic of the Prairie style. International style buildings are rare in Atlanta.

537-541 Edgewood Avenue, 1906. A two-story, brick commercial building with a shed roof and stamped-metal cornice. Storefront is obscured by metal security grate. Second floor contains a three-part, basket-arched window flanked by narrow, sash windows. Elaborate ornamentation includes a machicolated brick cornice and terra-cotta rondels, finials and egg-and-dart motifs.

53 Hogue Street, 1940 (IDLCS# 90041). A one-story frame duplex with a recessed porch and a roof that is hipped at the rear and a clipped gable at the front. Porch is supported on square posts and has a plain stick balustrade.

14 Howell Street, ca. 1927 (IDLCS# 90042). A one-story frame duplex with a front-facing gable roof and cross gables on each side. The porch across the front is carried on wood posts with molded capitals. Knee braces are present under the projecting eaves of the facade.

24 Howell Street, ca. 1895 (IDLCS# 90043). One-and-one-half story frame house with steeply pitched, front-facing, clipped gable roof, and a three-part window in the gable end. Alterations include two shed-roofed dormers, an enclosed, concrete-replacement porch, a carport added to the north side, and asbestos shingle siding.

28 Howell Street, ca. 1895 (IDLCS# 90046). One-and-one-half story frame house with steeply pitched front-facing clipped gable roof. Massing is identical to 24 Howell Street, but a rear addition is present and the gable windows have probably been covered. Full-facade porch has square posts with capitals, turned balustrade, and decorative brackets.

54 Howell Street, 1931 (IDLCS# 90044). Utilitarian two-story frame apartment building with side gable roof and full-facade two-story porch supported by brick posts. Rafter ends and knee braces appear in gable ends. partially enclosed back porch. Severely fire damaged, with doors and windows boarded up. Rehabilitation was ongoing at time of survey.

483-485 Old Wheat Street, ca. 1905 (IDLCS# 23366). Hip-roofed frame double shotgun house with parallel hip-roofed entry porches. House is vacant and threatened by lack of maintenance, but fabric is present for use in future rehabilitation. Some porch posts are missing and balustrades are replacements.

487-489 Old Wheat Street, ca. 1905 (IDLCS# 23369). Hip-roofed frame double shotgun house with parallel hip-roofed entry porches. House is vacant and threatened by lack of maintenance, but retains fabric for use in future rehabilitation. Porch roofs and brackets are all that remain of porches. Some weatherboards have fallen off at rear.

Landscape Features

Alley running south from Auburn Avenue between 493 and 497 Auburn, ca. 1911 (IDLCS 90057). A sixteen- to twenty-foot-wide alley, currently paved with asphalt, that likely was unpaved through much of its history.

Brick sidewalk, north side of Auburn Avenue east of Howell, ca. 1890-1920 (IDLCS# 90059). A herringbone brick sidewalk with a granite curb. Sidewalk is approximately 165 feet long and nine feet wide.

Brick sidewalk, west side of Howell Street north of Auburn Avenue, ca. 1895-1922 (IDLCS# 90060). An approximately 40-foot segment of herringbone brick sidewalk with a granite curb. The pavement is approximately six feet wide.

Pea-gravel sidewalk, north side of Auburn Avenue between Boulevard and Howell Street, ca. 1922-1923 (IDLCS# 90058). The sidewalk is composed of a brown pea gravel aggregate, with a granite curb. The pavement is approximately nine feet wide.

Noncontributing Properties

449 Auburn Avenue, 2 buildings, 1971-1981
492-494 Auburn Avenue (IDLCS# 90006)
531 Auburn Avenue, 2 buildings, 1954
19-29 Boulevard, 3 buildings
421-429 Edgewood Avenue, 1946
428 Edgewood Avenue
462 Edgewood Avenue, 1927
479 Edgewood Avenue, 1932
484 Edgewood Avenue, 1908
494 Edgewood Avenue
501 Edgewood Avenue
502-504 Edgewood Avenue
509 Edgewood Avenue
513 Edgewood Avenue, 1920
520 Edgewood Avenue
521 Edgewood Avenue
525 Edgewood Avenue, 1948
528 Edgewood Avenue
536 Edgewood Avenue, 1951
479-481 Old Wheat Street, ca. 1905