Reflections- Georgia African American Historic Preservation Network, Vol. 9, no. 1 (Dec. 2009)

Volume IX, No. 1 December 2009
Jeanne Cyriaque, African American Programs Coordinator
Historic Preservation Division
continued on page 2
THE COLLIER HEIGHTS HISTORIC DISTRICT:
ATLANTA’S PREMIER AFRICAN AMERICAN SUBURB
Collier Heights Historic District is located just six miles west
of downtown Atlanta. Collier Heights was Atlanta’s largest
African American suburb that was built by and for African
Americans during the mid-20th century development and expansion
of the city. This historic district encompasses over 1,700 residences.
The district was developed into 54 interrelated subdivisions totaling
1,000 acres from World War II through 1979. The subdivisions
were developed along curvilinear streets without sidewalks that
incorporated the natural terrain and trees. The district’s housing
stock represents virtually every type of Ranch House that was
built in Georgia in the mid-20th century, Split-Level houses, and
some two-story houses. Several community landmark buildings
are located on the edges of the district and include churches, schools
and two parks.
Collier Heights is
unique among black suburbs.
In most communities when
African Americans moved in,
these communities were
“transitioned” into black
neighborhoods due to “white
flight.” Collier Heights is a
planned suburb that evolved
due to African-American
initiative and it was built
specifically to serve the
African-American middle
class of Atlanta. Early
advertisements for Collier
Heights were published in
the mid-1950s in the Atlanta
Daily World, one of Atlanta’s
leading African-American
tabloids. By the early 1960s,
The most popular house type in the Collier Heights Historic District is the
Ranch House. Originating in California, the Ranch House was the most
popular house type in the country in the 1950s. This “Courtyard” Ranch
House features a semi-circular entrance to the garage that is partially hidden
by brick ornamentation that matches the house. Photo by James R. Lockhart
Collier Heights was featured in national publications including
the New York Times, Ebony and Time magazines.
Collier Heights lies between four quadrants of interstate
highways. The boundaries of the district are I-20 and I-285, Donald
Lee Hollowell Parkway (formerly Bankhead Highway) and Hamilton
E. Holmes Drive (formerly Hightower Road). The district is primarily
single-family residential development. The terrain is hilly, which
often resulted in steep slopes and uneven lots interspersed
throughout the district’s subdivisions.
The oldest part of the district contains some Bungalowtype houses dating from 1915-1930. These houses were built for
whites when the area was primarily rural. Small subdivisions of
American Small Houses are interspersed in the district while
Ranch and Split-Level Houses
characterize the vast amount of
subdivisions in Collier Heights.
While most of the
Collier Heights subdivisions
were platted by 1951, the
community became designated
as an African-American
development exclusively
when the City of Atlanta
annexed the area in 1952.
That year the West Side Mutual
Development Committee was
formed. It was a consortium of
African-American and white
land developers. Simultaneously,
African Americans formed their
own land-bank company. It was
called the National Development
Corporation. These initiatives
resulted in acquisitions of
2
THE COLLIER HEIGHTS HISTORIC DISTRICT:
ATLANTA’S PREMIER AFRICAN AMERICAN SUBURB
Jeanne Cyriaque, continued from page 1
existing white-owned homes through agreements by 1954. After
that time, the developments were platted exclusively for AfricanAmerican occupancy. From 1955-1959, over 24 new subdivisions
were platted, mostly in the northwest and southeast areas. This
pattern continued into the mid-1960s, when another 19 subdivisions
were platted.
There are a few Bungalows in the oldest part of the Collier Heights Historic
District. They date from the period when the present community was
rural. Bungalows were popular in Georgia from 1900 to the 1940s, This
Bungalow features the Craftsman style and a detached garage.
Photo by James R. Lockhart
American Small Houses in the district are set back evenly
from the street but the arrangement of Ranch and Split-Level Houses
vary according to the topography and tastes of the owners. More
affluent owners built their homes on lots with larger setbacks that
take advantage of natural features.
All of the Collier Heights community landmark buildings
are located on the periphery of the district and the district contains
American Small Houses exist side-by-side in the eastern section of Collier
Heights. These houses consist of five rooms, a bathroom, and lack unused
space such as hallways. Most were built in Collier Heights after World
War II. Photo by James R. Lockhart
virtually no historic commercial buildings. The landmark buildings
include three historic schools: the Collier Heights Elementary
School, Frederick Douglass High School and Bazoline E. Usher
Elementary School (formerly Drexel High School). Churches include:
St. Paul of the Cross Catholic Church and Imhotep School, Radcliffe
Presbyterian Church, Union Baptist Church and Berean SeventhDay Adventist Church. These community landmark buildings
represent architectural styles including Modern, International, AFrame and Brutalism as well as more traditional or revival
architectural design.
Frederick Douglass High School opened in the fall of 1968 in the southeast
periphery of Collier Heights. The school features the Brutalism style of
architecture that is monolithic in massing and features minimum windows.
The 2004 auditorium and gymnasium (on the left) were not contributing
resources in the Collier Heights nomination. Photo by James R. Lockhart
The period of significance for the Collier Heights Historic
District begins around 1915 with the oldest existing development
and ends in 1979 when development of the area was completed. It
is an intact, post-World War II mid-century development and more
than 95% of the houses contribute to its period of significance. It
is significant in the area of architecture due to its large collection of
mid-20th-century houses including examples of American Small
Houses, Ranch and Split-Level Houses. The majority of homes in
Collier Heights are a mixture of brick and wood veneers. Owners
personalized these houses through design elements including
wrought iron, columns and stone ornament. Earlier houses have
detached garages while most of the Ranch Houses have carports.
These “compact”Ranch Houses were constructed with
brick veneer, the most popular building material in
Georgia. Photo by James R. Lockhart
3
Collier Heights is also significant for its community
planning and development. It was one of Atlanta’s first suburbs
that adopted the elements of subdivision development that were
preferred by the Federal Housing Administration. The lots
throughout the subdivisions feature mixed lot sizes and both
landscaped lots with mature trees as well as heavily wooded lots.
Collier Heights also broke away from gridiron patterns of street
design to curvilinear streets and cul-de-sacs that made the
community safer for children.
The First Missionary Baptist Church moved to Collier Heights in the
1960s. This church is a Contemporary-style A-Frame with an elongated
T-shaped plan. Photo by James R. Lockhart
The Ranch house on the left uses metal shutters for ornamentation. The
house on the right is a Split-Foyer. Its distinctive characteristics are an
entrance at grade level with the main living area on the upper level while
the lower level provides ample space for a recreation area.
Photo by James R. Lockhart
African-American ethnic heritage and social history are
other areas of significance that make the Collier Heights Historic
District unique. It attracted a significant number of African -American
middle class owners, builders and developers. Some of the residents
of Collier Heights included Herman Russell, a nationally prominent
contractor, and the parents of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Other
notable residents included Rev. Ralph David Abernathy, who
succeeded Dr. King as president of the Southern Christian
Leadership Conference and William L. Calloway of the AlexanderCalloway Realty Company, one of Atlanta’s African-American
realtors. Geneva Moton Haugabrooks, one of Atlanta’s most
successful funeral directors, and Donald B. Hollowell, a civil rights
attorney, also lived in Collier Heights. Dr. Asa Yancey, Sr., best
known for his work as Medical Director of Atlanta’s Grady Hospital,
is a Collier Heights resident.
Collier Heights Historic District is significant at both the
state and national level. It is not only the premier African-American
suburb in Atlanta, but also in all of Georgia. When the suburb was
being developed, it achieved national coverage in newspapers and
magazines and was promoted as the best place for middle class
African Americans to live in Atlanta. In a Time magazine article in
1959, it was listed with other African-American suburbs as great
places to live. White developers had built these other communities
for African Americans, but the article failed to mention one fact that
made Collier Heights unique: it was developed by and for blacks.
More recently, Andrew Wiese characterized Collier Heights as “the
premier black residential district in the country” in Places of Their
Own: African American Suburbanization in the Twentieth Century.
In his landmark study, Wiese found that the majority of African
American suburbs in the North, Midwest and West were
“transitioned” while those in the South, especially Collier Heights,
were developments created specifically for African Americans.
continued on page 4
This Split-Level house is Contemporary-style. It features
exposed roof beams and nontraditional windows.
Photo by James R. Lockhart
At the end of World War II, there was a severe housing
shortage for African Americans in Atlanta. This was due to the
city’s strict segregation zoning ordinances. A number of
organizations and lending institutions emerged during that time to
address this issue. The Empire Real Estate Board, with members
representing real estate brokers and financiers, was formed in 1939
to respond to discrimination. Walter “Chief” Aiken was one of the
founding members. He developed alliances with other organizations
that focused on civil rights issues in real estate. Other Empire Real
Estate Board members were John Calhoun and Quentin V. Williamson.
Calhoun was stripped of his real estate license for arranging
purchases of homes by African Americans in Mozley Park, a
previously “white only” area on Atlanta’s west side. Williamson,
who would eventually become a Collier Heights resident, quietly
began purchasing tracts outside the city limits to avoid the racially
restrictive zoning. Atlanta’s black financial institutions, including
Citizens Trust Bank, Atlanta Mutual Savings and Loan and the
Atlanta Life Insurance Company began to earmark funds for
community reinvestment, thus providing funds for land acquisition
to members of the Empire Real Estate Board.
4
THE COLLIER HEIGHTS HISTORIC DISTRICT:
ATLANTA’S PREMIER AFRICAN AMERICAN SUBURB
Jeanne Cyriaque, continued from page 3
Political and demographic changes in Atlanta also set the
stage for the Collier Heights suburb. Voter drives in the city had
successfully resulted in blacks accounting for 27% of the electorate
by 1946. Mayor William Hartsfield developed an annexation plan
for the city. In 1952, the city annexed vast tracts of both developed
and undeveloped land to the west where Collier Heights would be
built. The Metropolitan Planning Commission also predicted that
by 1980, the population would increase by 320,000 persons, and
“… about 90,000 will be colored.”
This Modern Split-Level house incorporates International
Style elements with a flat roof and stones interspersed with
the brick for ornamentation. Photo by James R. Lockhart
In 1954, plans were publicized for the African American
residential development. The National Development Company, with
assistance from the West Side Mutual Development Committee,
quietly bought out the relatively few white homeowners in what is
now the oldest subdivision of Collier Heights. Between 1955-1957,
eight subdivisions were developed, and 15 new subdivisions were
developed in 1958 and 1959. By the middle of the 1960s, another 17
were developed, and the final two Collier Heights subdivisions
were started in 1966.
Collier Heights’ homes followed the same trend as the
nation with Ranch Houses and Split-Levels as the predominant
house type. Some of the designs in Collier Heights were modeled
from plan books. W.D. Farmer, a white architect, developed plan
books where buyers could design their own home. A number of
African-American draftsmen and contractors also designed Collier
Heights’ homes.
Joseph W. Robinson, an African-American architect,
designed homes in Collier Heights. Robinson had completed his
architecture degree at Hampton Institute in 1949. When he moved
to Atlanta he did not receive his license due to segregation, so
Robinson taught at Booker T. Washington High School until 1968.
In the early 1950s, he began designing homes because a license
was not required at that time. By 1970, he had designed over 200
houses when he established his firm, J.W. Robinson & Associates.
Robinson was a charter member of the National Organization of
Minority Architects and was a fellow in the American Institute of
Architects. Edward C. Miller, considered to be the first licensed
African-American architect in Atlanta, designed the Contemporarystyle Radcliffe Presbyterian Church, one of the community landmark
buildings in the Collier Heights Historic District. Whatley Bros.
Construction, a black-owned firm, built many houses in Collier Heights.
The Collier Heights Historic District was listed in the
National Register of Historic Places on June 23, 2009. The Collier
Heights Neighborhood Association sponsored the nomination
following an extensive study and documentation of the
neighborhood by graduate students from the Georgia State
University (GSU) Heritage Preservation program. Seven graduate
students prepared the Historic District Information Form in 2008 as
a class project. The students surveyed nearly 1,800 properties in
the district for the project. They were: Emilie Arnold, Neil Bowen,
Renee Brown-Bryant, Stephanie Cherry, Parinya Chukaew, Erica
Danylchak, Emily Eigel, Hilary Morrish, Melina Vasquez and Lillie
Ward. The students received a Preservation Achievement Award
from the Historic Preservation Division in 2009. The Atlanta Urban
Design Commission also honored the GSU program for their
outstanding project this year.
The Collier Heights Community Association celebrated
the National Register designation at a community event in October
2009. Antavius Weems, who is president of the association, thanked
hundreds of community supporters, city officials and legislators
who packed Berean Seventh Day Adventist Church for the program.
The association and residents are stewards for maintaining this
treasured residential development on Atlanta’s west side that is
known as Collier Heights.
Split-Level houses are common in this
subdivision. Photo by James R. Lockhart
This “Alphabet” Ranch House is round. It was
designed by African-American architect Joseph
W. Robinson. Photo by James R. Lockhart
5
NEW HOPE AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH
STANDS IN THE MIDST OF CHANGE
Joy Melton, African American Programs Assistant
Historic Preservation Division
New Hope African Methodist Episcopal Church and Cemetery
is located on Arden Road in Atlanta’s Buckhead community.
Although New Hope A.M.E. has withstood a number of challenges
over the years, it remains significant as one of the first A.M.E.
churches built in Atlanta. The New Hope congregation was founded
in 1869. At that time, it was known as the New Hope Camp Ground
because the congregation met in the open under shade trees.
The congregation gained ownership of the church
property less than a decade after the end of slavery. On May 29,
1872, James H. “Whispering” Smith, a white Buckhead resident,
donated the land in his will to the congregation for use as a church
and school. Today, the congregation believes that Smith was
inspired by God to conceive such an act, for he died eight days
W.W. Stephens, the congregation completed the church in 1936
during the hardships of the Great Depression with personal
contributions and gifts from white friends and employers. General
contractor Alex Milt, a white man, was instrumental in securing a
loan to help the congregation build the remainder of the sanctuary.
Two members of the congregation secured loans on their personal
property to aid in the construction.
The landscape surrounding the church began to change
in the 1930s when middle-to-upper income whites moved into the
neighborhood. The school burned in 1942, but classes continued
to be held in the fellowship hall of the church for class grades 1-7.
In 1975, a tornado struck the church and parsonage. Both buildings
were repaired, but the parsonage was renovated and was classified
as a non-contributing resource for the nomination.
New Hope A.M.E. Church is a rectangular, front-gable,
wood-framed structure that was completed from 1928-1936. It was
built on a granite foundation. There are two asymmetrical towers
on the main façade, one with a gable roof and the other with a
steeple and cross. Two round Doric columns support the portico.
On the main façade, stained glass windows highlight the towers
and transom windows above the entrance. Wood and granite
buttresses support the side walls of the church.
The cemetery, with two stone pillars and an ornamental
gate at the entrance, is located on the east side of Arden Road
across from the church. The earliest grave dates to 1889, yet
unmarked graves suggest earlier burials. Cemetery markers indicate
that early families belonging to the church bore surnames of
prominent white families in the Buckhead area. Many of the
later. Reverend Roland Wishum was caretaker of the property and
Reverend Joseph Woods was the first pastor. Under Pastor Woods’
leadership, the congregation joined the African Methodist Episcopal
Church, the first African-American denomination that separated
from white churches. When the church gained ownership of the
property they constructed a gable-front, wood church. It was built
before 1900 and served as a church and school until it burned in
1927. New Hope sponsored a camp meeting each August until the
middle of the 20th century.
In 1926, during Reverend J.F. Moses tenure, a parsonage
was built. The basement of the present church was completed in
1928, under the leadership of Reverend R.E. Lee. Under Reverend
founding church members retained these names from slavery. The
New Hope A.M.E. Church and Cemetery was listed in the National
Register of Historic Places on January 9, 2009. Rev. Philip Chisholm,
the current pastor, conducted a church service in May 2009
celebrating the completion of the cemetery restoration.
New Hope A.M.E. Church and Cemetery were built on a
three-acre site on land donated to the congregation after
the Civil War. The 1926 parsonage next to the church was
altered and is not part of the contributing properties. The
cemetery is located across the street in the Buckhead
community of Atlanta. Photo by James R. Lockhart
New Hope Cemetery’s oldest burial dates from 1889. The cemetery
has grave markers that vary from simple stones or flat markers to
more elaborate obelisks. Photo by James R. Lockhart
6
VIDALIA’S J.D. DICKERSON SCHOOL REPRESENTS THE
TRANSFORMATION OF AFRICAN AMERICAN EDUCATION
Joy Melton, African American Programs Assistant
Historic Preservation Division
Professor Dickerson was a visionary
for educating African American youth
in Vidalia. Photo courtesy of 1996
J.D. Dickerson High School Reunion
Program
Vidalia is located in the
heart of Georgia in
Toombs County and is home
to the world-renowned Vidalia
Sweet Onion. Professor James
Dewitt Dickerson came to
Vidalia after graduating from
Morehouse College in
September 1904. His goal was
to teach in an AfricanAmerican school. Dickerson
was born on June 22, 1876, in
Louisville, Georgia. Upon
arriving in Vidalia, Dickerson
began a grassroots effort to
educate 24 students in a oneroom schoolhouse. In January
1905, his wife, Gussie P. Hart
Dickerson joined him in
educating the students at the
new school. Mrs. Dickerson
was a graduate of Spelman
College in Atlanta. Together,
they educated African
American children in Vidalia for
40 years.
Working with existing
resources, Dickerson converted
the dilapidated Odd Fellow Hall
on the west side of McIntosh
Street into a school.
By 1907, the school
curriculum had expanded to
include first through seventh
grades with four students in
the graduating class. Land
was purchased on Third
Avenue for a new school.
Meanwhile, in 1912,
Booker T. Washington, founder
of Tuskegee Institute in
Alabama (now Tuskegee University), influenced Julius Rosenwald,
philanthropist and president of Sears Roebuck and Company, to
implement the Julius Rosenwald Fund to support the construction
of rural schools for African Americans. The fund was chartered in
1917 and Professor Dickerson, as he was affectionately called, took
advantage of this opportunity. Dickerson petitioned for support
from blacks and whites in the community for the two-story school
that was constructed in 1918-1919. According to the Fisk University
Julius Rosenwald Fund Archives, the school resembled a Central
School, a plan style designed by Tuskegee architects that included
a library. Central schools were designed to offer vocational training
Mrs. Gussie Dickerson taught
alongside J.D. Dickerson for over 40
years. Photo courtesy of 1996 J.D.
Dickerson High School Reunion
Program
to older boys and girls that had practical applications to community
life. Two teachers, preferably a husband and wife, typically taught
at Central schools, where they resided on the premises. A 1924
Sanborn Map indicates that the school was named Industrial High
School. The buildings had electricity and were heated by stoves.
The two-story high school had two large classrooms on each floor,
an industrial room and an office.
The Vidalia High and Industrial School was a two-story school built
according to plans developed by architects at Tuskegee Institute. These plans
were used until the Julius Rosenwald Fund developed Community School
Plans in 1920. Source: Georgia Dept. of Education 1918 Annual Report
The school continued to grow. By 1922, the Vidalia High
and Industrial School had added ninth grade. The Dickersons
developed the students not only academically, but also socially,
religiously, and ethically. Mr. Dickerson was an active deacon in
the First African Baptist Church, as his name appears on the
cornerstone erected on the church in 1925. Also, the church added
a J.D. Dickerson educational wing in 1939. The school was
recognized by the Georgia Department of Education as “Toombs
County Training School,” a prestigious designation in the early
1930s. Only effective rural black schools that offered industrial
training were designated “Training Schools.” They received
financial assistance from the John F. Slater Fund, established in
1882 to aid southern rural black schools.
In 1937, the Rosenwald School was moved across Third
Avenue and a T-shape plan, brick veneer, Works Progress
Administration (WPA) building was erected. The WPA was
The J.D. Dickerson Training School was constructed in 1937 through funds
provided by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Photo courtesy of
1996 J.D. Dickerson High School Reunion Program
Lillian Davis
Dr. Gerald C. & Barbara Golden
Terry & Cynthia Hayes
Richard Laub
Christine Miller-Betts
Kenneth Rollins
Isaac Johnson, Chair
706/738-1901
Linda Cooks, Vice-Chair
404/936-2614
Velmon Allen, Vice-Chair
GAAHPN Network
912/261-1898
STEERING
COMMITTEE
Jeanne Cyriaque
African American
Programs Coordinator
Reflections Editor
Voice 404/656-4768
Fax 404/657-1040
jeanne.cyriaque@dnr.state.ga.us
STAFF
Isaac Johnson
Chairman
Joy Melton
African American
Programs Assistant
Voice 404/657-1054
Fax 404/657-1040
joy.melton@dnr.state.ga.us
7
founded in 1935 as an outcome of the Great Depression. President
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration created jobs that resulted in
the construction of public buildings and schools through the WPA.
Dickerson personally helped to raise some of the funds that were
needed for the WPA school, and it was named the Dickerson Training
School in his honor. The building had 13 classrooms, an auditorium,
a dining room, principal’s office, library, lavatories, dressing rooms
and a basement. This was the most contemporary school building
for African Americans in this region of Georgia at the time. Students
from the surrounding area flocked to the newly state-accredited
Dickerson Training School. Some students boarded in homes near
the school. Professor J.D. Dickerson died on September 15, 1947
after 42 years as the school’s principal.
In 1951, the state School Building Authority was developed
to construct modern school buildings that were “separate but
equal.” A 3% retail tax was created that same year to finance the
construction of hundreds of school in Georgia. By 1958, the cannery/
shop building was demolished and the equalization school addition
was constructed on the eastern section of the property facing Third
Avenue. In 1960, faculty and students requested that the Vidalia
Board of Education change the name from Dickerson Training to
J.D. Dickerson High School. On January 25, 1963, a fire destroyed
the 1937 WPA building and two people were killed. In February of
that same year, a request was approved to build a gymnasium and
elementary school to replace the WPA building.
The last graduating class completed their studies at J.D.
Dickerson High School in 1970 due to the desegregation of schools
in Georgia. The school name was changed to J.D. Dickerson School
housing grades first-third in the elementary school and fifth-sixth
in the high school facility. This school closed in 1974. Today the
school is known as the J.D. Dickerson Primary School, and still
provides an education for Vidalia students.
The J.D. Dickerson Elementary School was erected in
1963 after a fire destroyed the WPA building. Portions
of the two buildings were used for elementary and high
school classes until desegregation in 1970. Today, the
school is the J.D. Dickerson Primary School.
Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
The gymnasium that was constructed in 1963 provides
recreation for the student population at J.D. Dickerson.
Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
A row of classrooms behind the elementary school
served the high school population until desegregation.
Photo by Jeanne Cyriaque
The Georgia African American Historic Preservation Network (GAAHPN)
was established in January 1989. It is composed of representatives from
neighborhood organizations and preservation groups. GAAHPN was formed
in response to a growing interest in preserving the cultural and ethnic diversity of
Georgia’s African American heritage. This interest has translated into a number of
efforts which emphasize greater recognition of African American culture and
contributions to Georgia’s history. The GAAHPN Steering Committee meets regularly
to plan and implement ways to develop programs that will foster heritage education,
neighborhood revitalization, and support community and economic development.
The Network is an informal group of over 2,700 people who have an interest in
preservation. Members are briefed on the status of current and planned projects and are
encouraged to offer ideas, comments and suggestions. The meetings provide an
opportunity to share and learn from the preservation experience of others and to receive
technical information through workshops. Members receive a newsletter, Reflections,
produced by the Network. Visit the Historic Preservation Division website at
www.gashpo.org. Preservation information and previous issues of Reflections are
available online. Membership in the Network is free and open to all.
ABOUT GAAHPN
This publication has been financed in part with federal
funds from the National Park Service, Department of the
Interior, through the Historic Preservation Division,
Georgia Department of Natural Resources. The contents
and opinions do not necessarily reflect the views or
policies of the Department of the Interior, nor does the
mention of trade names, commercial products or
consultants constitute endorsement or recommendation
by the Department of the Interior or the Georgia
Department of Natural Resources. The Department
of the Interior prohibits discrimination on the basis
of race, color, national origin, or disability in its
federally assisted programs. If you believe you have
been discriminated against in any program, activity, or
facility, or if you desire more information, write to: Office
for Equal Opportunity, National Park Service, 1849 C
Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20240.
Published quarterly by the
Historic Preservation Division
Georgia Department of Natural Resources
Dr. David Crass, Acting Division Director
Jeanne Cyriaque, Editor
A Program of the
Historic Preservation Division
Georgia Department of Natural Resources
254 Washington Street SW
Ground Level
Atlanta, GA 30334