Briarcliff Plaza facts for kids
Briarcliff Plaza, also known as Ponce de Leon Plaza, is a shopping center in Atlanta, Georgia. It was designed by architect George Harwell Bond and opened in 1939. You can find it at the corner of Ponce de Leon Avenue and Highland Avenue, in the Poncey-Highland neighborhood.
This plaza was developed by a company called Relnac Inc. They planned for it to cost about $300,000 to build. Construction started after the last house on the block, the Dr. Robin Adair estate, was bought.
Briarcliff Plaza opened its doors throughout 1939. It had many different businesses. Some of the first shops included Dupree Dry Cleaners and Blick’s Bowling Alley. There was also Holcomb Flowers, the Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Company, and Nick Caruso’s Big Place, which fixed shoes and cleaned hats.
This plaza was special because it was Atlanta's very first shopping center with parking right off the street. Today, it is home to the historic Plaza Theatre and a store called Urban Outfitters. Part of the old plaza area was recognized as a historic place in 2020. This means it is important to save and protect it.
A Look Back: Druid Apartments
Before Briarcliff Plaza was built, a building called the Druid Apartments stood on this spot. This apartment building was built in 1917 and cost about $75,000. It was a project by George Francis Willis, who was known for patent medicines and real estate.
In 1920, Forrest and George Adair helped arrange a deal. Willis sold the apartments for $125,000 to Alex F. Marcus and Charles F. Ursenbach.
