Historic Collier Heights is an affluent middle-class and predominately African-American populated historic area in the northwest corner of
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
,
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
. It is bordered to the west by Fairburn Road, the east by
Hamilton E. Holmes Drive, the north by
Donald L. Hollowell Parkway, and to the south by
Interstate 20 bridge at Linkwood Road.
It is one of the first communities in the nation built exclusively by African-American planners for the upcoming Atlanta African-American middle class
and has been featured in several national publications such as ''
Ebony
Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus '' Diospyros'', which also contains the persimmons. Unlike most woods, ebony is dense enough to sink in water. It is finely textured and has a mirror finish when ...
'' and
''Jet'' magazines, as well as featured in the "Homefinder" section of the ''
Atlanta Journal-Constitution''. Since 2009, the community has been listed on the United States
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
.
The community achieved local historic designation in June 2013.
History
The neighborhood was founded in 1948, and has several famous and history making homeowners, such as
Martin Luther King, Sr; noted Civil Rights Attorney,
Donald Hollowell;
Ralph David and Juanita Abernathy, and
Christine King Farris
Willie Christine King Farris (born September 11, 1927) is the eldest sibling of Martin Luther King Jr. She taught at Spelman College and is the author of several books and was a public speaker on various topics, including the King family, multicu ...
. Collier Heights is home to several prominent figures, such as
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
's current Mayor,
Andre Dickens
Andre DeShawn Dickens (born June 17, 1974) is an American politician and nonprofit executive who is the 61st and current mayor of Atlanta, Georgia. He was a member of the Atlanta City Council and defeated council president Felicia Moore in the ...
, and the location of the childhood home of former
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
Mayor
Keisha Lance Bottoms.
Historic Collier Heights is the home of U.S. Congresswoman and presidential nominee from the Green Party,
Cynthia McKinney; television actor
Emmanuel Lewis
Emmanuel Lewis (born March 9, 1971) is an American actor, best known for playing the title character in the 1980s television sitcom '' Webster''.
Personal life
Lewis was born in Brooklyn, New York, and graduated from Midwood High School in 1989. ...
from the "Webster" television series; Georgia House of Representative Member,
Billy McKinney; Attorney and former State Senator,
Leroy Johnson; famed celebrity Attorney, Antavius Weems; television actress
Jasmine Guy
Jasmine Guy (born March 10, 1962) is an American actress, director, singer and dancer. She is known for her role as Dina in the 1988 film ''School Daze'' and as Whitley Gilbert-Wayne on the NBC ''The Cosby Show'' spin-off ''A Different World'', ...
from ''Diff'rent World'';
Asa G. Yancey, Sr., one of the first African American doctors in
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
; and
Herman J. Russell, Contractor and civic leader.
Neighborhood organization
Historic Collier Heights has two officially recognized community Associations that represent the citizens of the Historic District. The inaugural Association is The Collier Heights Community Association (CHCA)–which formed in 1968. The second, and more popular organization is The Historic Collier Heights Community Association (Historic Collier), which is the largest neighborhood organization in Historic Collier Heights, encompassing the entire community/neighborhood. Key committees within the CHCA and the "Historic Collier" Association are the Historic Committee, which focuses on master planning for preserving the history of the community and neighborhood improvement projects.
Both Associations enjoy popularity and organize a number of festivities throughout the year, such as the National Night Out-a summer block party, a Christmas party and the Historic Collier's "Salute To Legends" celebration, which pays homage to the famous history-making residents of Collier Heights. Executive committee members are voted into office for one-year terms. Elections are held in December at the Association's annual Christmas party.
The CHCA meets the 2nd Tuesday of every month at Berean Seventh-Day Adventist Church (291 Hamilton E Holmes Dr NW, Atlanta, GA) at 6:30pm. The "Historic Collier" Association meets on the 1st Thursday of every month at St. Paul of the Cross Church (551 Harwell Rd NW, Atlanta, GA 30318) at 7:00pm. Both organizations enjoy a social media presence, being available on Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok. The "Historic Collier" Association has a website at https://www.historiccollier.com
Awards and recognitions
The
City of Atlanta declared September 8, 2009, as Collier Heights day, presenting the community with a proclamation for its historic significance in the city and the nation. Similarly,
Fulton County, Georgia
Fulton County is located in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 1,066,710, making it the state's most-populous county and its only one with over o ...
, declared September 16, 2009, as Collier Heights day in the county.
In 2008, under community Association President, Attorney Antavius Weems, Collier Heights began its quest to become the first community in the nation to be registered as a Historic Site, listed on the United States
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
, due to its significance of being the first community in the nation built by African Americans for their fellow African Americans. On June 23, 2009, the community achieved its goal. The community achieved local historic designation in June 2013.
During the 2021 Mayoral election cycle, it became notable that two of the top three Mayoral candidates,
Felicia Moore and
Andre Dickens
Andre DeShawn Dickens (born June 17, 1974) is an American politician and nonprofit executive who is the 61st and current mayor of Atlanta, Georgia. He was a member of the Atlanta City Council and defeated council president Felicia Moore in the ...
are residents of the Historic Collier Heights area, which gives credence to the community's affluence, strong political presence and ties as one of Atlanta's strongest communities.
Education
Public
*
Bazoline E. Usher Collier Heights Elementary School
*Harper-Archer Elementary School
*John Lewis Invictus Academy (6th-7th Grades)
*
Douglass High School
Private
*
Berean Academy; K–12; Yvonne Brown, Principal
*
St. Paul of the Cross Christian Academy; K–12
Public libraries
*
Atlanta–Fulton Public Library System operates the Adamsville–Collier Heights Branch.
[Adamsville-Collier Heights Branch]
" Atlanta–Fulton Public Library System. Retrieved on February 24, 2010.
Transportation
Besides the main
arterial road
An arterial road or arterial thoroughfare is a high-capacity urban road that sits below freeways/motorways on the road hierarchy in terms of traffic flow and speed. The primary function of an arterial road is to deliver traffic from collector r ...
,
Collier Drive, other roads include Waterford Road,
Hamilton E. Holmes Rd, and borders
Donald Lee Hollowell Pkwy.
MARTA serves Collier Heights with the
Hamilton E. Holmes transit station, which is the system's westernmost route.
External links
Collier Heights websiteBrick by Brick: Atlanta’s Collier Heightsphoto essay showing several homes
References
{{Historic Districts in Metro Atlanta
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Georgia (U.S. state)
African-American history of Georgia (U.S. state)
Neighborhoods in Atlanta
National Register of Historic Places in Atlanta