Many Atlantans know this building as a former homeless shelter that provided housing for men experiencing homelessness. Located at the intersection of Peachtree Street and Pine, this building’s facade is one of my favorites in Atlanta. Providing over 700 beds, it was the largest shelter in the southeast until its closure in 2017.
The building began as the United Motor Services Building. Designed by noted Atlanta architect A. Ten Eyck Brown, The Atlanta Constitution (1920, August 9) states in an Atlanta feature about new buildings that “This is the building every one [sic] has been talking about.”
Emory University purchased the building in 2018. Their plan is to turn the building into housing for hospital staff.
Paschal’s Restaurant and Motel in Atlanta, Georgia, is a historic building with deep ties to Atlanta and the Civil Rights Movement. Founded in 1947 by brothers James and Robert Paschal, the restaurant became a hub for a good meal and social change. Originally a small 30-seat luncheonette, it was known for its fried chicken, which was Robert’s secret recipe. Because of its popularity, Paschal’s expanded to include a full-service restaurant and a motel, which is photographed above.
Paschal’s was more than just a place to eat. It was a meeting place for civil rights leaders, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Maynard Jackson, and John Lewis, who often strategized there. Other famous visitors included Aretha Franklin, Dizzy Gillespie, and Al Gore.
While the original Paschal’s is no longer open, the restaurant can still be visited at their Castleberry Hill location on Northside Drive.
Most people know that Martin Luther King, Jr. Was first buried in South-View Cemetery in Southwest Atlanta and then The King Center. He was entombed into four different crypts over time.
After his murder on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee, the King family and the city of Atlanta quickly got ready for his funeral. On April 9th, his first crypt was used at South-view Cemetery. The crypt was created by the Roberts-Shields Memorial Company.
The new crypt after it was installed with Ebenezer Baptist Church in the background. (Photo is courtesy of The Atlanta Journal.)
After King’s death, Coretta Scott King immediately envisioned and founded The King Center. Land was identified and King was relocated on January 14, 1970. A new crypt was built by the same company.
The second crypt location has a fence and an eternal flame. (The photo is courtesy of the Georgia State University archives for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution).
The permanent dais was built in 1976 and the third crypt was constructed. Like the others, it was built out of Georgia marble.
The single crypt of Martin Luther King on the permanent dais. (Postcard image.)
When Coretta Scott King passed away in 2006, the Robert-Shields Memorial Company made the final double crypt.
Credit to Liz Clappin for providing the information on the Roberts-Shields Memorial Company.
Located on W. Whitney Avenue in the southwest part of Albany, Georgia, the Mt. Zion Baptist Church and the Albany Civil Rights Institute visually connect Albany’s past with Albany’s present. Founded in 1865, Mt. Zion Baptist Church has long been a fixture in the Black community in Albany. As a freedmen’s church, it was the first African American Baptist church in Albany. On November 25, 1961, the first Albany Movement meeting occurred at the church. The church played a pivotal role during the Civil Rights Movement and galvanizing activists in Southwest Georgia. It was also the location where the Freedom Singers held their first performance. The meetings were so well attended that people would overflow into the street into Shiloh Baptist Church, serving as a meeting place for activists and a sanctuary for those seeking justice. Leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr, John Lewis, and Ralph David Abernathy attended and spoke at the meetings.
Adjacent to the church, the Albany Civil Rights Institute is dedicated to preserving the rich history of the Civil Rights Movement in Southwest Georgia. Housed in the rehabilitated Old Mt. Zion Baptist Church, the institute features exhibits, interactive displays, and a digital oral history database that bring the stories of the past to life1. Visitors can explore the struggles and triumphs of the movement through photographs, documents, and artifacts that detail the fight for voter registration, nonviolent protest, and economic boycotts. The church underwent significant restoration after the “Great Flood of 1994,” which caused extensive damage to the church.
Connected to the church, The Albany Civil Rights Institute, originally known as the Albany Civil Rights Movement Museum, opened in November 1998. Its mission is to educate about the Civil Rights Movement, especially in Southwest Georgia.
Below are images of the church from the National Register of Historic Places application before it is restored.
In this image, Shiloh Baptist Church can be seen. It would co-host Albany Movement meetings since they were so well attended that people would overflow into the street. Often, presenters would finish at one church, walk across the street, and speak to those who had gathered in the other building.
The Martin and Lucretia Stamper house is near the Meriwether and Harris County lines in Talbot County. It is also known as Merrywood. The two-story I-house with Classic Revival details was built in 1833. The Stampers, who moved to the area from Upson County, were among the early families to settle there. Their two-story home is a rarity and indicates how wealthy the family was. According to the 1840 census, the Stampers enslaved 40 people and owned just over 700 acres.
In 1850, the Stampers sold their property to John Harris and James Weaver. While the National Register of Historic Places does not state this, it seems the land was divided, and the Harris family occupied the house. In 1860, Weaver sold his acreage to Harris. The Harrises lived in the house until 1890.
The home was put on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. The photos below are from the NRHP application.
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