The Viability of Local Designation in the Peoplestown Neighborhood
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FRIEND OR FOE: THE VIABILITY OF LOCAL DESIGNATION IN THE PEOPLESTOWN NEIGHBORHOOD, ATLANTA, GEORGIA by PAUL JOSEPH TRUDEAU (Under the Direction of Wayde Brown) ABSTRACT Local historic designation’s role in the revitalization of low-income, historic urban neighborhoods generally focuses on architectural rehabilitation and economic stimulation. The notion of preserving intangible elements in these areas is often overlooked, namely because of the negative impacts of urban renewal programs that drastically altered the racial and ethnic make-up of many of these neighborhoods from the 1940s to the 1970s. This thesis examines development and growth during this era in Atlanta, Georgia, and its impact on the in-town neighborhoods bordering the city’s Central Business District (CBD). Using national studies for comparative analysis, it will examine how local historic designation has impacted low-income neighborhoods across the country so to explore the viability and appropriateness of local designation in Peoplestown, one neighborhood near Atlanta’s CDB. The goal of this thesis is to determine whether local designation would be a contributor to higher property taxes, gentrification, or displacement in Peoplestown, which has experienced a self-generated revitalization effort that began in the 1980s. INDEX WORDS: Historic Preservation, Local Designation, Gentrification, Neighborhood Revitalization, Peoplestown, Atlanta, Georgia, Urban Renewal FRIEND OR FOE: THE VIABILITY OF LOCAL DESIGNATION IN THE PEOPLESTOWN NEIGHBORHOOD, ATLANTA, GEORGIA by PAUL JOSEPH TRUDEAU B.A., University of Georgia, 1998 A Thesis submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTER OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION ATHENS, GEORGIA 2005 Copyright © 2005 Paul Joseph Trudeau All Rights Reserved FRIEND OR FOE: THE VIABILITY OF LOCAL DESIGNATION IN THE PEOPLESTOWN NEIGHBORHOOD, ATLANTA, GEORGIA by PAUL JOSEPH TRUDEAU Major Professor: Wayde Brown Committee: Pratt Cassity Mary Anne Akers Bill Parrish Electronic Version Approved: Maureen Grasso Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia August 2005 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Completion of this thesis would not have been possible without the support from several important individuals. I would first like to thank my parents for their continuous love and encouragement, no matter what my endeavors have been. Many thanks also go out to the faculty of the School of Environmental Design for their guidance in shaping my preservation philosophy, notably Pratt Cassity, John Waters, Wayde Brown, Mark Reinberger, Alan Stovall, Mary Anne Akers, James Reap, Robert Benedict, and Henry Parker. A big thank-you goes out to the staff of the Center for Community Design, Planning and Preservation, including Drane Wilkinson, Jennifer Martin Lewis, Jane Link, Eleonora Machado, and Melissa Roberts, for their assistance in sharpening my preservation skills and for providing a great work environment over the past few years. A great deal of thanks goes to my fellow students, the staff of the School of Environmental Design (thanks Donna G.), and all others who have helped me get through the program relatively unscathed. A special thank-you goes to Doug Young at the Atlanta Urban Design Commission, Larry Keating at Georgia Tech, Max Creighton at the Community Design Center of Atlanta for their technical assistance, and to Bill Parrish from the Atlanta Department of Community Affairs for sitting on my reading committee. Finally, my utmost gratitude goes out to my beautiful wife Tobie, whose unceasing love and emotional support has been a monumental influence on the completion of my degree. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS........................................................................................................... iv LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................... vii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................1 2 NATIONAL STUDIES ON THE IMPACTS OF LOCAL HISTORIC DESIGNATION IN LOW-INCOME NEIGHBORHOODS.........................................4 Baltimore, Maryland.................................................................................................4 Indianapolis, Indiana.................................................................................................8 New Orleans, Louisiana..........................................................................................12 Texas (various cities) ..............................................................................................15 Conclusions.............................................................................................................17 3 GROWTH, DEVELOPMENT, AND PRESERVATION IN ATLANTA..................19 Urban Renewal and Racial Barriers........................................................................20 Highway Construction and Transportation.............................................................27 Historic Preservation in Atlanta..............................................................................30 Preservation and Revitalization in Neighborhoods near Atlanta’s CBD................33 4 THE VIABILITY OF LOCAL HISTORIC DESIGNATION IN PEOPLESTOWN........................................................................................................38 Humble Beginnings ................................................................................................39 Urban Renewal and Stadium Construction in Peoplestown ...................................42 v The Model Cities Program.......................................................................................49 The 1996 Olympic Games .......................................................................................52 Current Status of the Peoplestown Neighborhood...................................................56 The Case for Local Historic Designation in Peoplestown.......................................64 Summary..................................................................................................................74 5 ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES TO ASSIST REVITALIZATION IN PEOPLESTOWN.........................................................................................................75 The Community Partners Program ..........................................................................76 The Preservation Development Initiative ................................................................79 The Community Reinvestment and Home Mortgage Disclosure Acts....................79 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Programs...........................82 6 CONCLUSION............................................................................................................88 BIBLIOGRAPHY..........................................................................................................................91 APPENDIX: PEOPLESTOWN DEMOGRAPHICS ....................................................................95 vi LIST OF FIGURES Page CHAPTER 2 Fig. 2.1: Typical row house building in Butchers Hill Historic District, Baltimore, Maryland......6 Fig. 2.2: Modest historic house in the Chatham-Arch Historic District, Indianapolis, Indiana ....10 Fig. 2.3: Large Queen-Anne in the Old Northside Historic District, Indianapolis, Indiana..........11 Fig. 2.4: Historic building in the Lower Garden District, New Orleans, Louisiana......................14 CHAPTER 3 Fig. 3.1: Typical slum neighborhood, early twentieth-century Atlanta.........................................21 Fig. 3.2: Atlanta’s Central Business District neighborhoods.........................................................23 Fig. 3.3: Buttermilk Bottom in the early 1920s .............................................................................25 Fig. 3.4: Highway construction in downtown Atlanta, early 1950s ..............................................28 CHAPTER 4 Fig. 4.1: Typical streetcar line to Atlanta suburbs, late-nineteenth century ..................................40 Fig. 4.2: "Railroad Gulch" area where Interstate 75/85 was originally proposed .........................43 Fig. 4.3: Aerial photo of Atlanta, 1940..........................................................................................44 Fig. 4.4: Aerial photo of Atlanta, 1960, with Interstate 75/85 running west of Peoplestown .......45 Fig. 4.5: Aerial photo of Atlanta, 1972, with completed Atlanta Stadium and Interstate 20 ........47 Fig. 4.6: Atlanta Stadium shortly after its construction in 1966....................................................48 Fig. 4.7: Focus area of Model Cities Program...............................................................................50 Fig. 4.8: The new Olympic Stadium in 1996, with original Atlanta Stadium in background .......53 Fig. 4.9: Current map of Peoplestown ...........................................................................................57 vii Fig. 4.10: Historic house in Peoplestown ......................................................................................58 Fig. 4.11: Typical streetscape in Peoplestown...............................................................................59 Fig. 4.12: Historic house in Peoplestown ......................................................................................60 Fig. 4.13: One of only a few larger historic structures that remain in