The Atlanta Preservation Center has called for an urgent public meeting on the future of 148 Edgewood Ave., a nearly century-old building threatened with demolition in the Martin Luther King Jr. local landmark district.
The building, constructed by Georgia Power between 1926-27 as a facade for neighborhood electrical supply equipment, was designated as part of the local MLK Jr. Landmark District in 1989. In 1992, the building was included in the national MLK Jr. Preservation District.
Georgia State University now owns the building and has already received a demolition permit requested by the Board of Regents and signed by Gov. Brian Kemp in June. The immediate future use of the site: a parking lot.
Ironically, GSU’s campus historic preservation plan recommends the building as being eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. The school used the building for photography classes in the 1970s and has since used it for storage. As late as 2021, the campus master plan keeps 148 Edgewood intact.
“The removal of this building would be a travesty to the fabric of this community and district,” Atlanta Preservation Center Executive Director David Y. Mitchell said. “This district holds national significance as a place of historic African American institutional and community buildings. It represents the achievements of African American leaders of the city, state, and nation and was an important part of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s formative years.”
Mitchell praised GSU’s history of helping to preserve Downtown Atlanta’s buildings and is urging them to do so again.
“Does Downtown really need another parking lot?” Mitchell questioned.
An announcement on a date and time for a public hearing on the future of the building is forthcoming, he said.
