Techwood Homes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Techwood Homes Historic District
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Techwood Homes, late 1930s
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 Location in Atlanta
Location in Georgia (U.S. state)
Location in the United States
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| Location | Atlanta, Georgia |
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| Built | 1935 |
| Architect | Burge & Stevens; J.A. Jones & Co. |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 76000632 |
| Added to NRHP | June 29, 1976 |
Techwood Homes was one of the very first public housing projects in the United States. It opened in Atlanta, Georgia, just before another famous project called First Houses. Techwood Homes was built on land where a very poor neighborhood, known as Tanyard Bottom or Tech Flats, once stood.
The project was finished on August 15, 1936. However, it was officially opened earlier, on November 29, 1935, by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The apartments were quite modern for their time. Each home had its own bathtub and electric stove. Some even had garages! The community also offered shared laundry rooms, a kindergarten for young children, and a library. Techwood Homes was created to help families living in very poor conditions. The idea was to give them better, safer places to live.
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Building a New Community
The design for Techwood Homes came from Flippen David Burge, an architect who studied at Georgia Tech. He later worked with a company called Stevens & Wilkinson. A real estate developer named Charles Forrest Palmer helped organize the project. He was an expert in public housing. Mr. Palmer later led the new Atlanta Housing Authority and the Chamber of Commerce. The outdoor areas, like gardens and green spaces, were designed by Edith Henderson and her partner Grace Campbell. They also designed the nearby Clark Howell Homes.
The name "Techwood" came from Techwood Drive, a street named after the nearby Georgia Tech university. The project even included a dormitory for 300 Georgia Tech students, called McDaniel Dormitory. The Atlanta Housing Authority managed Techwood Homes. For many years, from the 1970s to the 1990s, the area became known for its urban decay. This means the buildings and neighborhood started to look run down.
A Place for Families
Techwood Homes was built on land that was cleared by tearing down a neighborhood called "the Flats." This was a low-income area next to downtown Atlanta. About 1,600 families lived there, and nearly one-third of them were African American. The Public Works Administration, a government agency, rebuilt the neighborhood. They created 604 new homes, but these were only for white families.
A nearby project, Clark Howell Homes, was built in 1941. It had a less official look than Techwood Homes. A. Ten Eyck Brown was the architect for Clark Howell. This project was also only for white families until 1968. There was a similar project for Black families called University Homes. It was built in 1938 near Atlanta University Center.
What Happened to Techwood Homes?
Most of Techwood Homes was torn down in 1996. This happened just before the 1996 Summer Olympics were held in Atlanta. Only a few historic buildings from the original project were saved. Today, Techwood Homes and the neighboring Clark Howell Homes are part of a new area called Centennial Place. The first part of Centennial Place opened in 1996, right before the Olympics. This is why it got its new name.
The families who used to live in Techwood Homes moved to other areas. They received Section 8 vouchers. These vouchers helped them pay part of their rent. Many of these former residents later moved back into Centennial Place. However, Centennial Place had fewer homes with rent help than Techwood Homes did.
Images for kids
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Techwood Homes, late 1930s
