Atkins Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Atkins Park District
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Atkins Park gateway at St. Louis Place
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 Location in Atlanta
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| Location | St. Augustine St., St. Charles Avenue, and St. Louis Place between N. Highland Ave. and Briarcliff Rd., Atlanta, Georgia |
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| Area | 27 acres (11 ha) |
| Built | 1912 |
| Architect | Edwin Wiley Grove, Knox T. Thomas |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival, Bungalow/Craftsman, Tudor Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 82004619 |
| Added to NRHP | August 30, 1982 |
Atkins Park is a cool neighborhood located inside Atlanta, Georgia. It's right next to the Virginia-Highland neighborhood. You can find it west of Briarcliff Avenue and north of Ponce de Leon Avenue.
Atkins Park is made up of just three streets: St. Louis Place, St. Charles Place, and St. Augustine Place. It also has a special sidewalk called Malcolm's Way. This sidewalk cuts through the neighborhood, connecting St. Charles to St. Louis. The neighborhood was first planned to make it easier for people to get to the streetcar stop on Ponce.
How Atkins Park Started
The land where Atkins Park now stands was once farmland. Around 1902 to 1905, a businessman named Edwin Wiley Grove bought the land. He was from St. Louis and later built famous places like the Grove Park Inn. Mr. Grove owned a company that made medicine, which helped him buy land for new neighborhoods.
Development of Atkins Park began in 1912. It was designed as a "streetcar suburb" of Atlanta. This means it was built along a streetcar line. People could easily ride the streetcar from their homes to downtown Atlanta for work or fun.
The neighborhood was first called St. Louis Park. Later, its name was changed to honor Colonel John DeWitt Clinton Atkins. He was a family friend and a mentor. Colonel Atkins was a politician who represented Tennessee in both the U.S. Congress and the Confederate Congress.
A part of Atkins Park, about 27 acres, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. This list includes places that are important to history.
How the Neighborhood is Run
Atkins Park has its own group called the Atkins Park Neighborhood Association (APNA). This group helps neighbors work together on local issues.
For bigger city matters, Atkins Park is part of the Virginia-Highland neighborhood. It works with the Virginia-Highland Civic Association (VHCA). The APNA chooses one of its members to join the VHCA Board. This helps Atkins Park have a say in city decisions.
Parks in Atkins Park
There is a small park in the neighborhood called North Highland Park. It is about 0.41 acres in size. The Virginia-Highland Civic Association bought this land in 2008. The park officially opened in 2012. It is located where an old public library used to be, at the corner of St. Charles Place and North Highland Avenue.
