Want to see a St. Patrick’s Parade marching down Ponce, from Clairemont towards Church Street, circa 1945?  Next Stop…Decatur’s got the goods! (courtesy of the DeKalb History Center)

Make sure to check out the streetscape…DeKalb Theatre, Woolworths, etc…

Moira Bucciarelli reminds us about the city’s new audio walking tour (mp3), which was mentioned in January’s Decatur Focus (pdf).  Here’s the Focus blurb, transcribed by Moira…

Are you interested in taking a 20-minute self-guided walking tour of downtown Decatur? Download Decatur’s audio tour from www.decaturga.com to your MP3 player, put on your favorite walking shoes and go. The tour begins at City Hall and ends at the old train depot.

The tour features some of Decatur’s history along with Lyn Menne’s observations about the city’s current growth and development. It also includes local musicians (the Dappled Grays and the Stonehouse Posse) and residents, and is narrated by David Hirt. Many thanks to Daren Wang for facilitating the process and to Moira Bucciarelli for putting it together. If you have ideas for other tours, please submit them to linda.harris@decaturga.com.

Honestly, it’s a very enjoyable and interesting tour, for old and new alike.

OK, let’s do this thing!

In January, we first learned that the Brick Store Pub had been named the #2 beer bar by Beer Advocate, that Mayor Floyd was 1 of 100 most influential Georgians, that APD messed up the details in the Standard shooting, that the DeKalb Farmer’s Market was no longer accepting ANY returns (enjoy that smelly shrimp!), I worried about the end of newsprint, the city gave up on any large-scale annexation plans for at least 3 years, Daren Wang and friends launched Agnes Writes after cutbacks at Margaret Mitchell, and a fire destroyed Trackside and 5th Earl.

In February, Daren Wang proposed an auction of Leon’s first pint to help Trackside and 5th Earl fire victims and it went for a jaw-dropping $2,650, we celebrated Atlanta Time Machine, we worried about an armed robbery in Oakhurst, we worried about Atlanta’s economic future, we smirked as annexation brought neighborhoods outside Decatur together, we talked about how much trash we put out every week, we had our first of many zombie invasions, I implemented threaded comments on DM, we marvelled at 335 W. Ponce’s plastic bag art, Duany dissed Decatur, and Decatur’s Wi-Fi was “completed“.

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Due to its sheer size, it’s taking the city some time to get the recently completed Historic Resources Survey up on its website.  So until that time, I’m providing it here in full for your perusal. Just be aware, it’s a big ol’ PDF file.

Beyond the sections of wonk-ish methodology, the report also offers a lot of info that could be of interest to any city resident.  Like what?  Like parcel-level maps and summations of Decatur’s many existing and potential historic areas, (Is your home “historic”?  Check the maps!) along with a developmental history of Decatur and a list of the city’s “landmark buildings”.

The map above indicates all the districts in the city that – by the strict 50-year rule definition – could be deemed historic at the national or local level in bluish green.  Existing local and national historic districts are in red.  Decatur has so much historic residential, it’s actually easier to summarize the large non-historic areas:  the now urban-renewal showcase that was once “Beacon Hill”, the Decatur Cemetery, East Decatur Station and Decatur Heights.  See?

I’ve included full list of “landmark” buildings after the jump.  And because I’m such a nice guy, I’ve even provided direct links to visuals of every building on the list via Google Streetview.  (Make sure to check out 303 Fifth Ave.  I never knew that house even existed and it’s freakin’ awesome!)

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At last night’s city commission meeting, the commission accepted a detailed Historic Resources Survey of Decatur (page 15 of pdf), compiled by Keystone Preservation Associates and Morrison Design, LLC.

At a cost of $35,000, the months-long survey, which documented every single parcel within the city limits, was one of the outcomes of the ugly clash between residents, city boards, cats and dogs over a proposed Oakhurst Historic District in 2007.  Among the many aspects of the initiative that confused and angered all parties was a lack of information on historic inventory within the neighborhood.

So the city ponied up the dough and funded an extensive survey that documented the entire city.  According to a letter to the commission by Planning Director Amanda Thompson…

This report will help the city move forward with several long term preservation goals including awareness and appreciation of Decatur’s historic resources by making the survey results available online and determining a timeline and cost proposal for creation of National Register listings.  We will also use the report to explore the world of heritage tourism and if that is a market the city is interested in pursuing.

Missing from the city’s stated goals is any mention of the creation of any additional local historic districts, which is the only way to physically regulate design in a neighborhood. (National Register status mainly provides tax incentives to residents to rehab property and creates red-tape for federal government-funded development)

That said, a portion of the survey was included among last night’s meeting materials and identifies 13 neighborhoods inside the city limits that would be eligible for some form of historic designation.  They are… Read the rest of this entry »

How did this happen?

One of the agenda items on the docket for tonight’s city commission meeting is providing up to $10,000 to the DeKalb History Center so it can put a new roof on the Swanton House.  While $5,000 is already included in this year’s budget, the city manager recommends that the commission give the DeKalb History Center a $5,000 advance on next year to cover the $10,000.

After reading this I was genuinely shocked that the DHC has to approach the city to come up with enough money to put such a critical item like NEW ROOF on the oldest building in the city . Here’s how the executive director of the DeKalb History Center, Melissa Forgey, describes it in a note to the city manager (page 13)…

“We are asking for a greater amount this year so that we can replace the wood shingle roof on the Swanton House; this type of shingle now has a very short life-span.  It is in great disrepair, continues to leak and is an eyesore to the neighbors.”

There are few things more threatening to a historic home than a failing roof.  And though it no longer sits at its original location, it’s upsetting to me that the city’s oldest building (circa 1825) has such extensive structural problems and the DHC has to go to the city for assistance.  Why is no one else acting on this?  Where are the hardcore preservationists? The Historic Preservation Commission? The Preservation Alliance?  Is there really no public desire for conserving such an important city landmark?

Jack Krost writes in…

Can you resolve this Oakhurst mystery?

What is buried under Oakview Road in Decatur’s Oakhurst neighborhood?

A) A time capsule, placed there by prominent local woman Georgia Adams in 1910

B) A Confederate soldier

C) The pistol used to kill Commodore Stephen Decatur in a duel

D) The remnants of a trolley line

If you don’t know the answer, it’s time to brush up on your Oakhurst history! And another Oakhurst walking tour is coming up, just in time.

We’ll meet in front of the One Step at a Time running shoe store, at 650-B East Lake Boulevard in Oakhurst Village, at 3 p.m. on Sunday, October 11. In case of rain, it will be the same time and place on the following Sunday, October 18.

There have been a lot of interesting events in the Oakhurst area over the years, including some that happened during the Civil War. If you haven’t been on a tour in the past, here’s your chance. And if you have, you’re welcome to come again. Neighborhood resident Jack Krost conducts them every year with friend and neighbor Charles Cope. They’re free. Just send Jack an RSVP at jkrost [at] aol.com to let us know you’re interested.

Scott D sends in Mr. Mallas’ obiturary and adds…

“Anyone that was in Decatur during the 70’s – 90’s went to the Square Table….the owner Speros Millas passed away the other day…..the Square Table was located next to Leon’s in the Eurasia site and was a fixture in Decatur….he was a great community businessman and friend to all patrons…”

Read the full obituary after the jump.

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Scott’s panoramic pic of Smith’s.

A couple days ago, Dave posted a pic at InDecatur that showed an old “Smith’s Shoes” sign had reappeared over Sage’s old location on the Square.  On seeing it, I hoped this meant the new owners of the Iberian Pig were bringing a piece of history back to the Square.  Today I received word that this isn’t part of the plan.   According to a source, The Pig has plans to paint over the old sign.

I’m hoping we can change their mind.

The owner and tenants of this building ultimately can do what they want, but Decatur has already lost far too much of its history. We cannot rebuild any of the old distinctive buildings and neighborhoods or rebuild the intricate web of city streets lost during invasion of massive buildings and parking lots.

But we can individually try to save pieces of what remains.

And though I can understand the hesitation to retain a sign that could be seen as confusing to new Pig patrons, I’d argue that the old sign would more than make up for any momentary confusion by providing this rather ordinary 1920s commercial building with distinctive character that would separate it from every other business on the Square.  “The Iberian Pig. Under the Smith’s Shoe’s Sign on Decatur Square” has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?

Comment below to show your support and perhaps together we can help save this piece of Decatur history.

AJC Photo

The AJC has a 33 picture interior and exterior gallery of a beautiful Sycamore Street home that recently received a Decatur Design Award.