East Lake is a
neighborhood
A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural area, ...
on the
east side 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:
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Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
, situated in
DeKalb County DeKalb County may refer to one of several counties in the United States, all of which were named for Baron Johan DeKalb:
* DeKalb County, Alabama
* DeKalb County, Georgia
* DeKalb County, Illinois
* DeKalb County, Indiana
* DeKalb County, Missouri
...
. It is the easternmost of the 238 neighborhoods in the City of Atlanta. It is home to
East Lake Golf Club
East Lake Golf Club is a private golf club 5 miles east of downtown Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1904, it is the oldest golf course in the city. East Lake was the home course of golfer Bobby Jones and much of its clubhouse serves as a tribu ...
, the site of
PGA PGA is an acronym or initialism that may stand for:
Aviation
* IATA code for Page Municipal Airport, Coconino County, Arizona
* ICAO designator for Portugália, regional airline based in Lisbon, Portugal
* Abbreviation for Prince George Airport ...
's annual
Tour Championship
The Tour Championship (stylized as the TOUR Championship) is a golf tournament that is part of the PGA Tour. It has historically been one of the final events of the PGA Tour season; prior to 2007, its field consisted exclusively of the top 30 ...
. East Lake lies mostly within the 30317 zip code.
History
One of Atlanta's more historic neighborhoods, East Lake is located from
downtown Atlanta
Downtown Atlanta is the central business district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The larger of the city's two other commercial districts ( Midtown and Buckhead), it is the location of many corporate and regional headquarters; city, county, s ...
. With its 1910 to 1940s bungalows and cottages and its convenience to local eateries, shops, and transit (
MARTA
Marta may refer to:
People
* Marta (given name), a feminine given name
* Märta, a feminine given name
* Marta (surname)
:István Márta composer
* Marta (footballer) (born 1986), Brazilian professional footballer
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* Marta (river), an ...
), East Lake has enjoyed a rebirth in recent years.
East Lake is on part of a 19th-century
plantation
A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...
owned by Lt. Col.
Robert Augustus Alston, whose home, known as
Meadow Nook, still stands across from the East Lake Golf Course. This
antebellum
Antebellum, Latin for "before war", may refer to:
United States history
* Antebellum South, the pre-American Civil War period in the Southern United States
** Antebellum Georgia
** Antebellum South Carolina
** Antebellum Virginia
* Antebellum ar ...
home was built in 1856 for his
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
bride, and was occupied during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
. It is the second-oldest home in the city of Atlanta and was not burned by
Union
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* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
General
William T. Sherman
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
and his troops.
In 1892, the East Lake Land Company was chartered and land was acquired and divided up into lots. A.C. Bruce was president of the East Lake Land Company and was instrumental in getting a street car line built down a right of way (now East Lake Drive), which started running cars every 20 minutes in 1893. This helped to increase the demand for the small cottage lots, many of which were bought by Atlantans, around the lake to escape the city during the summer months. By the recession of 1896 it became a failed development. The large covered pavilion and beach served as an amusement park, during the years up to 1900.
In 1899
Asa Candler
Asa Griggs Candler (December 30, 1851 – March 12, 1929) was an American business tycoon and politician who in 1888 purchased the Coca-Cola recipe for $238.98 from chemist John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta, Georgia. Candler founded The Coca-Co ...
, who was then building
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...
into a national
icon
An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most ...
, started using agents to secretly buy up the land around the lake and surrounding area. The
Atlanta Athletic Club
Atlanta Athletic Club (AAC), founded in 1898, is a private athletic club in Johns Creek, Georgia, a suburb 23 miles north of Atlanta. The original home of the club was a 10-story building located on Carnegie Way, and in 1904 a golf course was bui ...
(AAC) began looking for land to build a country location in 1902, and was stirred by one of Candler's agents to buy . In 1904 the Atlanta Athletic Club opened
East Lake Golf Club
East Lake Golf Club is a private golf club 5 miles east of downtown Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1904, it is the oldest golf course in the city. East Lake was the home course of golfer Bobby Jones and much of its clubhouse serves as a tribu ...
. A street line from Atlanta through Kirkwood, served the location. The Pavilion was removed in 1907 to make way for the first clubhouse. The first clubhouse and golf course were not completed til 1908. Golf was not the primary recreation at that time. Lawn bowling, tennis, boating and wading were all the craze. East Lake was incorporated as a town in 1908.
In 1912, an auto road was constructed from Ponce de Leon Avenue to the gates of East Lake Country Club, making East Lake even more accessible. By 1916, a $10,000 school building had been erected on Fourth Avenue, making East Lake the perfect suburban neighborhood. According to an ''
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger between ...
'' article in May, 1916, demand for East Lake homes was "almost to boom proportions." In 1928, East Lake was annexed into the City of Atlanta.
In 1926 Francis Marion Swanson moved to East Lake, and bought the home at 246 Daniel Avenue, across from what is now East Lake Park. Mr. Swanson was the treasurer of the East Lake Land Company, which helped spur development of the East Lake area by providing mortgages and construction loans to home buyers and builders. Mr. Swanson and friends encouraged sports enthusiasts to move to the area, many of whom had ties to Georgia Tech. The property site of the Swanson home also has the last of the remaining "Lake Cottages" that date back to the amusement park. This cottage was a guest house for the Swanson family, whose guests included notable Atlantans and Georgia Tech personalities such as football coaches Bill Alexander and Bobby Dodd, and renowned golfer Bobby Jones. Jones would come in for weekends, and drive onto the 9th fairway from Daniel Street to avoid the crowds.
During the early to mid twentieth century, the East Lake community thrived with life centered around the Athletic Club. The community had a swim team, tennis team, and football team as well as many accomplished golfers. Across Alston Drive from the Golf Course sat the Bachmann Farm, which kept the horses used for pulling the mowers at the Golf Course. In the early 1950s the land was donated to the City of Atlanta to be converted into what is now East Lake Park. The original Bachmann farm house was converted into a recreation center.
The AAC moved from Atlanta in 1966, selling both its East Lake and downtown Atlanta properties and purchasing its current site in northern
Fulton County Fulton County is the name of eight counties in the United States of America. Most are named for Robert Fulton, inventor of the first practical steamboat:
*Fulton County, Arkansas, named after Governor William Savin Fulton
*Fulton County, Georgia
*F ...
(now
Johns Creek
Johns Creek is a city in Fulton County, Georgia, United States. According to the 2020 census, the population was 82,453. The city is a northeastern suburb of Atlanta.
History
In the early 19th century, the Johns Creek area was dotted with ...
). A new club soon bought the property, establishing what is now known as
East Lake Golf Club
East Lake Golf Club is a private golf club 5 miles east of downtown Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1904, it is the oldest golf course in the city. East Lake was the home course of golfer Bobby Jones and much of its clubhouse serves as a tribu ...
.
During the 1970s, a notorious public housing project,
East Lake Meadows, was built at the former site of the second course at East Lake, west of Second Avenue. A violent crime wave took over the development, and the community saw crime rise, as quality of life and housing values declined. In 1995 a private group led by developer and former resident
Tom Cousins
Tom or TOM may refer to:
* Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name)
Characters
* Tom Anderson, a character in ''Beavis and Butt-Head''
* Tom Beck, a character ...
entered into a partnership with the City of Atlanta to raze the Meadows and rebuild a new mixed income development, the Villages of East Lake. With the Meadows demolition, crime began to rapidly decline, and the community began a renaissance as the 20th century ended.
Sparked by an already active community association established in 1975, residents protected and preserved the neighborhood during the tumultuous 1960s, 70s, and 80s. As a result, in the late 1990s the neighborhood began to attract young urbanites who eagerly bought the charming homes and changed the residential character of the area, subjecting East Lake to a dramatic property value inflation of 230%.
In the 2005, the East Lake Neighbors Community Association adopted the East Lake Park in Partnership with Park Pride, completing the first community vision plan for a park with that organization. The goal of the parks group was to bring neighbors together in support of renovating the neglected park. That year, the Friends of East Lake Park received a $100,000 donation from Home Depot Foundation to build a new playground, shade structures, walking trails and benches, as well as extensive plantings throughout the park, and off site improvements at East Lake Elementary School and the Villages at East Lake. Over 800 volunteers from the community and corporate partners from Home Depot, Coca-Cola and UPS built all the improvements over a 6-hour period. Since then the Friends of East Lake Park has helped secure grant funding to renovate and restore the recreation center. The park is the pride of the community, with newly renovated tennis courts, and little league ball field, and is very active use most weekends.
In 2009, community members started the East Lake Farmers Market (ELFMarket) at the empty commercial intersection of 2nd Avenue and Hosea L. Williams Drive. The market started as a way to combat crime activity at the empty commercial intersection. The ELFMarket has evolved into 501(c)-3 not for profit charity that seeks to build community through food, hosting charity cook offs, offering reduced cost fresh produce, partnering in the community to try to improve health outcomes, and bringing together area neighbors Saturday mornings April through October each year. In 2012, the Market partnered with the Southeastern Horticultural Society to build a raised bed urban farm at the former site of a gas station.
Several months per year, a "Yard of the Month" award is placed on a home's lawn. Yards are nominated and voted for by, previous award winners.
Geography
East Lake is bordered by:
* Knox St./Pharr Rd. and the
Decatur neighborhood of
Oakhurst to the north;
* 1st St. and the Atlanta neighborhood of
Kirkwood to the west; also, the
Villages at East Lake on the west side of East Lake are a separate neighborhood;
* Candler Road and the
Belvedere Park CDP in unincorporated
DeKalb County DeKalb County may refer to one of several counties in the United States, all of which were named for Baron Johan DeKalb:
* DeKalb County, Alabama
* DeKalb County, Georgia
* DeKalb County, Illinois
* DeKalb County, Indiana
* DeKalb County, Missouri
...
to the east and
* Glenwood Ave. and the
Candler McAfee CDP in unincorporated
DeKalb County DeKalb County may refer to one of several counties in the United States, all of which were named for Baron Johan DeKalb:
* DeKalb County, Alabama
* DeKalb County, Georgia
* DeKalb County, Illinois
* DeKalb County, Indiana
* DeKalb County, Missouri
...
to the south.
Notable residents
Many notable people have played roles in East Lake's history, including
Asa Candler
Asa Griggs Candler (December 30, 1851 – March 12, 1929) was an American business tycoon and politician who in 1888 purchased the Coca-Cola recipe for $238.98 from chemist John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta, Georgia. Candler founded The Coca-Co ...
, golfers
Bobby Jones and
Alexa Stirling
Alexa Stirling Fraser (September 5, 1897 – April 15, 1977) was an American-Canadian amateur golfer. She won the U.S. Women's Amateur golf championship in 1916, 1919, and 1920. She also won the Canadian Women's Amateur title in 1920 and 1934.
...
, and
Johnny Weissmuller
Johnny Weissmuller (born Johann Peter Weißmüller; June 2, 1904 – January 20, 1984) was an American Olympic swimmer, water polo player and actor. He was known for having one of the best competitive swimming records of the 20th century. H ...
, winner of 5 Olympic gold medals and the first movie Tarzan, who swam at East Lake. Accomplished amateur golfers
Watts Gunn
Watts Gunn (January 11, 1905 – November 5, 1994) was an American amateur golfer. He had a long golf career that began in his high school days at Lanier High School in Macon, Georgia. He went on to become a successful player in college at Ge ...
,
Charlie Yates
Charles Richardson Yates (September 9, 1913 – October 17, 2005) was an American amateur golfer. He is noted for winning the 1938 Amateur Championship, captaining the United States Walker Cup team and being the long-time Secretary of Augusta Nat ...
, and Tommy Barnes have been residents, along with
Georgia Tech
The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...
coaches
William Alexander and
Bobby Dodd
Robert Lee Dodd (November 11, 1908 – June 21, 1988) was an American college football player and coach, college baseball coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Georgia Tech from 1945 to 1966, compil ...
. Civil rights activist
Hosea Williams
Hosea Lorenzo Williams (January 5, 1926 – November 16, 2000) was an American civil rights leader, activist, ordained minister, businessman, philanthropist, scientist, and politician. He is best known as a trusted member of fellow famed civil ri ...
was a resident of East Lake, serving the community as an Atlanta City Council member, state representative and state senator.
Community activist
Eva Davis
Eva or EVA may refer to:
* Eva (name), a feminine given name
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters
* Eva (Dynamite Entertainment), a comic book character by Dynamite Entertainment
* Eva (''Devil May Cry''), Dante's mother in t ...
was among the earliest residents of the notorious East Lake Meadows housing project when she moved in with her children shortly after it opened in 1971. She was elected president of its tenants association and she led rent strikes against the Atlanta Housing Authority (AHA) to win improvements such as better outdoor lighting, more sidewalks and a day care center. Davis persevered in her mission of community upgrade even as dope dealers turned the housing project into a war zone with the infamous nickname of "Little Vietnam."
Golf
East Lake is home to two golf courses. The
East Lake Golf Club
East Lake Golf Club is a private golf club 5 miles east of downtown Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1904, it is the oldest golf course in the city. East Lake was the home course of golfer Bobby Jones and much of its clubhouse serves as a tribu ...
, the home course of golf legend
Bobby Jones, is the site of
PGA PGA is an acronym or initialism that may stand for:
Aviation
* IATA code for Page Municipal Airport, Coconino County, Arizona
* ICAO designator for Portugália, regional airline based in Lisbon, Portugal
* Abbreviation for Prince George Airport ...
's annual
Tour Championship
The Tour Championship (stylized as the TOUR Championship) is a golf tournament that is part of the PGA Tour. It has historically been one of the final events of the PGA Tour season; prior to 2007, its field consisted exclusively of the top 30 ...
. It was reconstructed in 1995 by noted golf course architect
Rees Jones
Rees Jones (born September 16, 1941) is an American golf course architect.
Life and career
Born and raised in Montclair, New Jersey, the son of legendary golf course designer Robert Trent Jones and the younger brother of golf course designer R ...
.
The Charlie Yates Golf Course is adjacent to the East Lake Golf Club and is open to the public. It was designed by Rees Jones in 1998.
Education
East Lake residents are zoned to
Atlanta Public Schools
Atlanta Public Schools (APS) is a school district based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It is run by the Atlanta Board of Education with superintendent Dr. Lisa Herring. The system has an active enrollment of 54,956 students, attending a t ...
(APS).
All area residents are zoned to Toomer Elementary School, in neighboring Kirkwood,
East Lake Elementary School. Retrieved on January 26, 2012. "East Lake Elementary School 145 Fourth Avenue Atlanta, GA 30317" Martin Luther King Jr Middle School,
and Maynard H. Jackson High School.
Charles R. Drew Charter School is a local APS-affiliated charter school
A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of auto ...
. Children of East Lake residents are given first opportunity to enroll at Drew.
References
Further reading
* Jordan, Vernon; et al.
"Creating Communities of Hope and Opportunity: The Revitalization of East Lake"
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (or Wilson Center) is a quasi-government entity and think tank which conducts research to inform public policy. Located in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washi ...
, March 27, 2007. "In 1995, the East Lake Meadows housing project was among the worst places in the United States to live. Its crime rate was 3.3 times higher than the rest of Atlanta and 18 times higher than the national average. ... Today, violent crime in East Lake is down by 95 percent."
East Lake Park, bordered by Memorial Drive, Alston Drive, and both Daniel and Green Avenues, is a multi functional and sport park. The facilities include a rentable event space, basketball courts, a youth playground, tennis courts, a pavilion with grills and picnic tables, an enormous open green space, and The Birds Nest - a baseball field owned by Atlanta softball team the Edgewood Ghetto Birds.
External links
East Lake Neighbors Community Association Website
{{coord, 33.751205, -84.301423, display=title
Former municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state)
Neighborhoods in Atlanta