South Downtown facts for kids
South Downtown is a historic neighborhood in Downtown Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It's a special part of the city where many important government offices are located, like city hall and state buildings. This is why the city calls it "Government Walk." Even though South Downtown has a lot of parking lots, it was lucky because many of its old, cool buildings weren't torn down during big building projects in the 1960s and 70s. So, you can still see many buildings from the 1950s and even older, looking much like they used to.
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Exploring South Downtown's Location
South Downtown is located north of I-20, which is a big highway. It's east of Castleberry Hill, south of Five Points, and west of I-85. Underground Atlanta is a main shopping and fun spot close to South Downtown. Underground Atlanta and the railroad gulch (a low area where train tracks run) separate South Downtown from Five Points and the Hotel District.
A Look Back at South Downtown's History
South Downtown was once a very busy shopping area. Whitehall Street, which is now called Peachtree Street Southwest, was Atlanta's main shopping street from the 1850s until the middle of the 1900s. People in 1854 said the street was "being built up with stores of brick." Broad Street was the market area. City historians call this area the "Heart of Atlanta" for shopping.
Big Stores and Shopping Fun
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, many big department stores were here. In the 1870s, some of the biggest were Rich's, Chamberlain, Boyton, & Co., Ryan's, Keeley's, and Dougherty's. Later, the J.M. High Company also became popular. By the 1930s, Rich's was the most important store in South Downtown. In 1949, Whitehall Street had many "five and dime" stores. These were stores like McCrory's, S. H. Kress, Woolworth's, and W. T. Grant. They sold many small, inexpensive items.
Even in 1968, the top part of Whitehall was still a "busy shopping area." Today, Peachtree Street Southwest still has shops, but they are more affordable. Some older retail buildings have been turned into small indoor shopping areas, like Metro Mall and the Mall at 82 Peachtree. A famous store called Miller's Rexall Drugs still sells special herbs and natural remedies at Broad and Mitchell streets, just as it has since 1965.
Hotel Row: A Place for Travelers
In South Downtown, you'll find Hotel Row. This is a historic area with a block of commercial buildings from the early 1900s. They are 3-4 stories tall and are on Mitchell Street, west of Forsyth Street. These buildings were originally hotels. They were built to serve people arriving at Terminal Station, a train station that opened in 1905 and was torn down in 1971. These buildings are the best-preserved row of early 1900s commercial buildings in Atlanta's original business district. Hotel Row started to decline in the 1920s. More people were using cars, and new roads made it easier to get to hotels in other parts of the city.
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Government Buildings in South Downtown
South Downtown is home to many government buildings for the City of Atlanta, Fulton County, and the State of Georgia. It also has offices for the federal government. Because so many government buildings are here, the city decided to call the area "Government Walk." Some of the well-known government buildings in this area include:
- Atlanta City Hall
- Georgia State Capitol
- Fulton County Courthouse
- Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Building
- Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center
- Richard B. Russell Federal Building
East of Central Avenue, besides the Georgia State Capitol, many State of Georgia offices are located here. These include the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) and the Georgia Department of Agriculture. The Georgia Supreme Court is also in this district.
Getting Around South Downtown
The MARTA provides public transportation to South Downtown. You can use the Garnett Transit Station on Peachtree Street or the Georgia State Station on Piedmont Avenue.
Many people who live in the southern suburbs and work downtown drive through South Downtown. Many streets in this area are one-way, just like in other parts of Downtown.
- Peachtree Street, south of the railroad gulch, has many stores. It is the main two-way street going north and south in this area.
- Trinity Avenue and Memorial Drive are the only two-way streets in South Downtown that go east and west.
- Central Avenue is a main street for cars heading north through the district. It's a key route for people driving into Downtown from the southern suburbs.
- Pryor Street is a main street for cars heading south through the district. It's one of the ways out of Downtown for people going to the southern and western suburbs.
