The street that John Wesley Dobbs referred to as “paved in gold”[1] is now paved with 160 condominiums and lofts and 27,000 square feet of ground floor retail.[2] Needless to say, the Auburn Avenue in Atlanta, Georgia that Dobbs knew in the first quarter of the 20th century was a different world from the development that exists there now. A vibrant center of African American culture, business, and social history during the early 20th century, the Sweet Auburn district situated along downtown Auburn Avenue was an iconic location for Southern blacks and home to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. [3] However, racial implications of the United States South placed the Sweet Auburn district in a world set apart from the rest of the city of Atlanta. Beginning around mid-century, the district started to decline as people moved out of the city center and highway construction moved in and split the neighborhood in two.[4] In 1976, the National Park Service declared Sweet Auburn a Historic Landmark, and soon after it was designated as a threatened historic place.[5] Today, Renaissance Walk, a recently completed redevelopment project takes over a major corner of Auburn Avenue, claiming to foster a cohesive atmosphere within the district and celebrating its new possibilities. One finds, however, through careful examination of the original decision to designate Sweet Auburn a historic district and the presence of developments like Renaissance Walk within the community that Atlanta (and the government) have chosen to remember Sweet Auburn in a very specific way – or more simply, not to remember it at all. The embedded beliefs regarding race in the South mean that the Sweet Auburn district has been historically disregarded and avoided, causing it to now be seen not for its cultural richness or social importance but for its ability to be redeveloped for profit.
Very interesting indeed! Reading your introduction, I am curious about whether the decline was because of market-based inner dynamics of the neighborhood only, or if an externally imposed program contributed to the decline, as well. This may be hard to document but well worth looking into!.
ReplyDeleteI'd be interested to know the current demographics of the district, and how that is shifting. What sort of business do you find there- how has that changed and how has it affected the population that lives in the Auburn district?
ReplyDeleteI think it would be very interesting to relate the specifics of the development with the cultural history of the area. For example, does the architecture of Renaissance walk interact in a specific way with the area's history? This would be a fascinating dimension to add to your paper.
ReplyDeletethe opening pgh is a little long - break it up into bites and be sure to give us your argument soon therafter!
ReplyDeleteTitle is the same; First sentence is basically the same: "The street that John Wesley Dobbs referred to as “paved in gold” is now paved with 160 condominiums and lofts and 27,000 square feet of ground floor retail."
ReplyDelete