Atlanta has a terrible record of tearing down some of its most significant and historic buildings – Terminal Station, Carnegie Library, and Kimball House Hotel, to name a few – and wiping entire neighborhoods off the map in the name of progress.
The Sweet Auburn Historic District – world-famous as the cradle of the Civil Rights Movement, birthplace of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and The King Center established after his assassination – was seriously altered in the early 1960s to make way for the Downtown Connector.
Racism played a large part in the decision to demolish and divide the district, including its namesake thoroughfare, Auburn Avenue, which Forbes magazine described in 1956 as the “richest Negro street in the world.”
The Downtown Connector’s arrival led to the long decline and disinvestment in one of the country’s significant Black neighborhoods.
Real estate developer Gene Kansas is one of those rare birds in the industry that is also a big proponent of historic preservation. For 25 years, Kansas has leaned into preservation, adaptive reuse, community building, and storytelling through the built environment.
This mindset began with the historic preservation of the Atlanta Daily World Building in Sweet Auburn, which earned him accolades from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Then came Constellations, the nearby culturally-based workspace, which was honored with a Development of Excellence Award from the Atlanta Urban Design Commission, Atlanta Regional Commission, and Urban Land Institute.
Kansas, a native of New Orleans, was also the creative mind behind the marketing and design contest that helped save the Clermont Hotel and preservation of the Sweet Auburn Curb Market.
His latest project is “Civil Sights” (University of Georgia Press), a book that documents the landmark buildings of Sweet Auburn accompanied by illustrations from artist Clay Kiningham.
Kansas began working on the book eight years ago, but the inspiration actually began after a 2008 tornado ripped through Downtown Atlanta, damaging structures in Sweet Auburn, including the Atlanta Daily World building.
That event, coupled with years of interviews with guests on his Sidewalk Radio podcast, also made him aware of the “incredible people hidden in history” and how to connect those Sweet Auburn inhabitants with places to tell a deeper story.
After a false start on the book, Kansas got another jolt of inspiration on the campus of Georgia Tech, where he was studying for his master’s degree. One day at lunch, he was scrolling through Instagram and saw Kiningham’s artwork.
“I messaged Clay right away and he happened to be on campus, so we met up and I asked him right then and there to illustrate the book,” Kansas recalled.
Kansas said he hopes the book will become a roadmap for preservationists, students and developers who want to help continue the revitalization of Sweet Auburn.
“I’m a historic preservationist who is also pro-development ≠ thoughtful, well-designed, responsible development,” he said. “There are a lot of empty spaces and parking lots where development can go in Sweet Auburn. Tearing down a building that can be restored is irresponsible.”
Kansas said the South Downtown project is proof that adaptive reuse and preservation is possible. He said developers should become “stewards of history” and understand the value of historic places rather than immediately demolishing a structure.
The book launch for “Civil Sights” is set for Wednesday, Feb. 12, at 6:30 p.m. at the Auburn Avenue Research Library. The event is sold out.
A second event is set for Wednesday, Feb. 19, 7 p.m. at the Atlanta History Center. The evening will feature a panel discussion with Gene Kansas, Jacqueline Jones Royster, and Ed Bowen, and moderated by Mike Jordan. Get details here.
