Briarcliff Plaza facts for kids
Briarcliff Plaza, also known as Ponce de Leon Plaza, is a historic shopping center in Atlanta, Georgia. It was designed by architect George Harwell Bond and first 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 special because it was Atlanta's very first shopping center to offer off-street parking. This meant people had a dedicated place to park their cars while they shopped, which was a big deal back then!
Relnac Inc. developed Briarcliff Plaza, and the project cost about $300,000. Construction started after the last house on the block, the Dr. Robin Adair estate, was bought. Throughout 1939, many businesses opened their doors here. These included Dupree Dry Cleaners, Blick’s Bowling Alley, Holcomb Flowers, the Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Company, and Nick Caruso’s Big Place, which offered shoe repair and hat cleaning.
Today, the plaza is home to the historic Plaza Theatre and a store called Urban Outfitters. In 2020, a part of this historic plaza was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's recognized as an important place in history!
What Was There Before: The Druid Apartments
Before Briarcliff Plaza was built, the Druid Apartments stood on the same spot. This building was constructed in 1917 and cost $75,000. It was a project by George Francis Willis, who was known for making patent medicines and developing real estate.
In 1920, Forrest Adair and George W. Adair, Jr. helped arrange a sale where Willis sold the apartments for $125,000. The buyers were Alex F. Marcus and Charles F. Ursenbach.
