Jon at The Midtown Archive sends along this most excellent pic of Decatur Square from 1961, which shows the actual “square” around the old Courthouse, and the generally more grid-like nature of the rest of the city’s layout prior to the great RENEWAL of the late 60s and 70s.

This is actually the first time I’ve seen a photo of the buildings that once sat along West Courthouse Square (where the Birds From Hell building now stands) and of the commercial buildings that were taken out by the new DeKalb Courthouse.

From what I can tell, this photo is shot looking in a northwesterly direction.

Presbyterian Seminary, Decatur GA (pic submitted by DTR)

“This is an exciting day! Scientists have long thought the 80′s-era AMC Eagle Station Wagon extinct, but as you can see, at least one survives. I have asked for the Detroit scientific community to come down to the Presbyterian Seminary in Decatur to verify it’s authenticity.”

Patch and Dateline: Decatur both report that the city showed a mock-up of a roundabout at Church and Lucerne Streets – at the entrance of Glenlake Park – at last night’s community workshop addressing ped and bike safety along Commerce, Church and Clairemont.  (Patch has a pic of the roundabout mockup HERE)

Patch reports that Deputy City Manager Hugh Saxon explained at the meeting that a majority of the project would be paid for by GDOT, since they believe that roundabouts improve traffic flow.  As for the larger scope of the C-Streets project, Patch’s Ralph Ellis adds…

Overall, officials said, the streets will get narrower because bike lanes will be added in places. Sharrows, bike boxes and other safety measures for bicyclists would be added.

Dateline: Decatur has a nice video of the evening, including interviews with Mr. Saxon and City Commissioner Fred Boykin.  In the video, Mr. Boykin notes that implementation of any of these plans is at least 5 years away, as is the cast with any GDOT project.  (McDonough Street improvements, anyone?)

And before anyone brings up the West Ponce/Nelson Ferry/Northern roundabout idea again, I remind you of Planning Director Amanda Thompson’s reply to us on that…

This project is not identified in the Community Transportation Plan or the 2010 Strategic Plan. So it would need significant community support to become part of our transportation program and for the City to pursue funding. Occasionally, the Georgia Department of Transportation will help fund roundabouts if the City prepares a concept study showing whether or not the roundabout will work.

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Photo courtesy of ViaCycle