underground historic buildings / the needs of the community (low income, appointed)

[bryantm3]

i wandered around underground today after i made it too late to an appointment, and i was looking at all the buildings. i was under the impression that only a few structures were actually historic, but when i started poking around, i'm actually starting to wonder if more is historic than what i previously thought.

here's something that's not historic; the north side of "kenny's alley" that was built in the 80s:



but turn 360° and you've got what appears to be a historic building facing the alley; this is on the "fourth floor" on the elevator (it's really more like floor 2.5):



if you go to the left, you can get around to the back of that building, looking west towards pryor street:



and there's also this building, which is on the same side of the alley as the new construction, just opposite the first historic building. it's at the corner of pryor and alabama, this is looking at the back:




in addition, there are two or three historic storefronts next to the fairfield inn, one of which is a waffle house; i believe that one is made of marble.

and as many of you know, the underground level is mostly historic, although if you look closely there have been parts of some of the facades that have been replaced or removed altogether. i know some of the existing historic buildings will probably be altered, and in the case of the first one i pointed out above, will probably be torn down.

i'm thinking of doing a photojournal about underground atlanta as it currently is, just for posterity, and also to document what sections of underground are actually historic and which are renovations done in the 80s.

in addition, as much as i am excited about the new plans for underground, i encountered a lot of young families and kids that still use the mall to shop for back-to-school clothes, many of which were lower and middle income; i believe there is a demand for retail and housing that comes from the surrounding communities, and i think it would be a tragedy if underground just became another playground for the rich, like many places in town are. i truly hope that WRS recognizes the needs that this community has, and tries to meet them instead of creating another place for the buckhead crowd to hone in on.

i expected to be documenting a dead mall, but i've seen dead malls and this isn't one of them. there are a lot of people who live down there that are looking forward to this, and i hope WRS doesn't disappoint.

one upside; while i was buying some fudge in the confectionary underground, i asked the cashier if they were staying after the renovations, and she said they didn't plan on moving anywhere. while the confectionary is not exactly a great store for low income residents, the fact that some of the stores are staying indicates to me that the rents are not expected to be 3 or 4 times the existing rent, which is good for local store owners.

[magnetar]

Originally Posted by bryantm3

in addition, as much as i am excited about the new plans for underground, i encountered a lot of young families and kids that still use the mall to shop for back-to-school clothes, many of which were lower and middle income; i believe there is a demand for retail and housing that comes from the surrounding communities, and i think it would be a tragedy if underground just became another playground for the rich, like many places in town are. i truly hope that WRS recognizes the needs that this community has, and tries to meet them instead of creating another place for the buckhead crowd to hone in on.

I've cut through Underground on my way to MARTA a few times and my biggest impression was how not-dead it is. It's certainly not Phipps Plaza, but there was plenty of life in the underground retail concourse the last time I was there in the winter.

[fourthwarden]

Originally Posted by magnetar

I've cut through Underground on my way to MARTA a few times and my biggest impression was how not-dead it is. It's certainly not Phipps Plaza, but there was plenty of life in the underground retail concourse the last time I was there in the winter.

Have the new plans talked about removing those? Actually asking.

I would imagine that the existing, older, and more permanent retail spaces would be preserved, with new spaces built in with the fill-in developments to support the new residential spaces above.

It would be silly to get rid of them unless absolutely necessary, and, as far as I know, the new developments are incorporating / preserving the historic structures as best as possible.

[tikigod311]

As I recall, the new developer spoke of the mall area a separate entity that will remain.


Bryant, definitely do the photo-journal. It is great to have things like that lying around for future comparisons!

[JoeTarheel]

Underground has a reputation for being dead and/or worthless, but I've been saying for a long time that it doesn't deserve that perception. It is much better than most seem to give it credit for being, and I'm glad to see a positive thread about it. I love the historic structures there, and there are actually a lot of them.

[bryantm3]

i am just so disappointed that people didn't have the foresight in the past to truly document things before they were torn down or renovated. i am going to have to rent and figure out how to use a digital camera to document this, lol (i used an old camera phone for those photos)... i sound pathetic for a 25 year old but i am a film loyalist and have never actually owned a digital camera... but to do a proper documentation we're talking hundreds of pictures, and i don't even know where you'd get film developed anymore.

[DreamerD]

Originally Posted by tikigod311

Bryant, definitely do the photo-journal. It is great to have things like that lying around for future comparisons!

[cqholt]

i expected to be documenting a dead mall, but i've seen dead malls and this isn't one of them. there are a lot of people who live down there that are looking forward to this, and i hope WRS doesn't disappoint.

It is only dead to those that are afraid to visit, had a bad experience before, upper middle class and above, and many people who live in the suburbs and 'have heard stories.' If it was dead, there would be no stores, but obviously those retailers are making some sort of income and no CoA is not subsidizing them to keep stores open.

[arjay57]

Excellent thread, bryant!

I love Underground's historic buildings and it is far from dead.

Please do that photo journal. Film would be fine.