Ponce de Leon Avenue ( ), often simply called Ponce, provides a link between
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 ...
,
Decatur,
Clarkston, and
Stone Mountain, Georgia
Stone Mountain is a city in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 6,703 according to the 2020 US Census. Stone Mountain is in the eastern part of DeKalb County and is a suburb of Atlanta that encompasses nearly 1.7 square mil ...
. It was named for
Ponce de Leon Springs, in turn from explorer
Juan Ponce de León, but is not pronounced as in
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
. Several grand and historic buildings are located on the avenue.
History
The original street extended eastward from Peachtree Street and was called Ponce de Leon Circle. In August 1872, a horsecar line that went from downtown Atlanta up Peachtree to Pine, was extended to Ponce de Leon Circle. At some point later, it was extended to
Ponce de Leon Springs, where the
Ponce de Leon amusement park would be built; today,
Ponce City Market
Ponce City Market is a mixed-use development located in a former Sears catalogue facility in Atlanta, with national and local retail anchors, restaurants, a food hall, boutiques and offices, and residential units. It is located adjacent to th ...
(formerly the Sears building, then City Hall East) stands on the site. Finally in 1889, the line was electrified and extended with the "loop" around what is now
Virginia-Highland.
West of Peachtree Street were Kimball Street and 2nd Street, portions of which were renamed Ponce de Leon Avenue. (See maps at
Atlanta annexations.)
In the 1890s-1910s, Ponce de Leon between Midtown and Moreland Avenue (the border of
Druid Hills) was one of the city's premier residential streets lined with large houses of the city's elite. With the arrival of the automobile, the richest families started to move further out, to what is today
Buckhead
Buckhead is the uptown commercial and residential district of the city of Atlanta, Georgia, comprising approximately the northernmost fifth of the city. Buckhead is the third largest business district within the Atlanta city limits, behind Downto ...
, to
Ansley Park
Ansley Park is an intown residential district in Atlanta, Georgia, located just east of Midtown and west of Piedmont Park. When developed in 1905-1908, it was the first Atlanta suburban neighborhood designed for automobiles, featuring wide, win ...
and to Druid Hills. Upscale apartment buildings started to appear on the boulevard. Ponce, as did much of the city, lost many of its middle- to upper-middle-class residents in the 1950s and 1960s, and large parking lot areas and new buildings built away from the street made Ponce lose much of the walkability that it had - and its focus gave way fully to automobile traffic. Though a renaissance was beginning in the 1970s, Ponce still was renowned for prostitution, drug sales, but also for its eclectic character up to the turn of the 21st century, celebrated in books such as George Mitchell's ''Ponce Deleon : An Intimate Portrait of Atlanta's Most Famous Avenue'' and Sharon Foster's ''Atlanta's Ponce de Leon Avenue: A History''. Today, the areas that Ponce passes on its way from Midtown to Druid Hills are largely affluent: Midtown, the
Old Fourth Ward where gentrification is well underway, and fully gentrified
Poncey-Highland and Virginia-Highland.
Sam Venable's home on the northeast corner of Ponce de Leon Avenue and Oakdale Road was bought in 1959 for $60,000 by the
St. John's Lutheran Church.
[Atlanta's Ponce de Leon Avenue: A History By Sharon Foster Jones]
/ref>
Route and landmarks
Midtown
Ponce de Leon Avenue begins at Spring Street at the south edge of Midtown Atlanta
Midtown Atlanta, or Midtown, is a high-density commercial and residential neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia. The exact geographical extent of the area is ill-defined due to differing definitions used by the city, residents, and local business ...
, though prior to the construction of the Downtown Connector
In Downtown Atlanta, the Downtown Connector or 75/85 (pronounced "seventy-five eighty-five") is the concurrent section of Interstate 75 and Interstate 85 through the core of the city. Beginning at the I-85/ Langford Parkway interchange, ...
, it started a block further west at Williams Street
Williams Street Productions, LLC, d/b/a Williams Street and formerly known as Ghost Planet Industries, is an American animation and live action television production studio owned by the Warner Bros. Television Studios division of Warner Bros., ...
(across from 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 ...
, one block east of Bobby Dodd Stadium) It passes West Peachtree Street and then Peachtree Street, the city block which has the BellSouth Building (now AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile te ...
) and the historic Fox Theatre on the north side of the street. At the next two intersections, it takes multiple numbered routes from North Avenue, which runs one block to the south and forms the boundary between Midtown and 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 ...
. Via one-way Juniper Street southbound and Piedmont Avenue (formerly part of Georgia 237
State Route 237 (SR 237) is a state highway located entirely within the city limits of Atlanta in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its path is entirely within Fulton County.
Route description
SR 237 begins just south of SR 13 (B ...
) northbound, it gets U.S. 29 north, U.S. 78 east, U.S. 278 east, and Georgia 8 east.
Historic Midtown and Old Fourth Ward
Passing Piedmont Avenue and the Edward C. Peters House, Ponce forms the border of NRHP-listed Historic Midtown to the north and Old Fourth Ward to the south. Here are found the historic Mary Mac's Tea Room, the Kodak Building, the Atlanta Eagle, Atlanta's original Krispy Kreme
Krispy Kreme, Inc. (previously Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc.) is an American multinational doughnut company and coffeehouse chain.
Krispy Kreme was founded by Vernon Rudolph (1915–1973), who bought a yeast-raised recipe from a New Orleans c ...
store, and Grace United Methodist Church. After drifting toward the east-northeast, it passes Boulevard
A boulevard is a type of broad avenue planted with rows of trees, or in parts of North America, any urban highway.
Boulevards were originally circumferential roads following the line of former city walls.
In American usage, boulevards may ...
(which continues north as Monroe Drive), and after Glen Iris Drive it passes the north side of the hulking former Sears building, later used as City Hall East, and now as Ponce City Market
Ponce City Market is a mixed-use development located in a former Sears catalogue facility in Atlanta, with national and local retail anchors, restaurants, a food hall, boutiques and offices, and residential units. It is located adjacent to th ...
, a food hall and mixed-use complex. Before Sears, the Ponce de Leon Amusement Park was located here. On the north side of Ponce is the Midtown Place strip mall
A strip mall, strip center or strip plaza is a type of shopping center common in North America where the stores are arranged in a row, with a sidewalk in front. Strip malls are typically developed as a unit and have large parking lots in front. ...
, on the site of the Ponce de Leon ballpark, which was home to the Atlanta Crackers
The Atlanta Crackers were Minor League Baseball teams based in Atlanta, Georgia, between 1901 and 1965. The Crackers were Atlanta's home team until the Atlanta Braves moved from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1966.
History
Atlanta played its first ...
and Atlanta Black Crackers baseball teams.
Poncey-Highland and Virginia-Highland
Ponce de Leon Avenue then passes under a former rail bridge which is part of the BeltLine
The Atlanta BeltLine (also Beltline or Belt Line) is a open and planned loop of multi-use trail and light rail transit system on a former railway corridor around the core of Atlanta, Georgia. The Atlanta BeltLine is designed to reconnect nei ...
trail, after which it forms the border between the Poncey-Highland neighborhood to the south and Virginia-Highland to the north. After the now-redeveloped Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant bordering the BeltLine, it passes the Clermont Hotel and Clermont Lounge and then the north end of Freedom Parkway, where it also picks up the route designation Georgia 10 east. It then passes 725 Ponce, a mixed-use development on the former site of a supermarket nicknamed " Murder Kroger".[Thomas Wheatley (April 6, 2011).]
Murder Kroger to get a makeover? Grocer says 'no'
''Creative Loafing''. Accessed September 12, 2013. A few blocks further east is the intersection with North Highland Avenue (from which the name of Poncey-Highland is derived), and at this intersection are found the historic Plaza Theatre and Briarcliff Hotel
The Briarcliff Hotel, now the Briarcliff Summit, is located at 1050 Ponce de Leon Ave. NE (original address: 750 Ponce de Leon Ave.) in the Virginia Highland neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia.
Asa G. Candler, Jr., the eccentric son of Coca-Col ...
, designed by the same architect as Atlanta City Hall and once home to 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 Atlant ...
heir Asa G. Candler Jr. Druid Hills Presbyterian Church, despite the name, is also located in this area, across the street from Briarcliff Plaza.
Druid Hills
After crossing the intersection of Georgia 42 ( Moreland Avenue south and Briarcliff Road north), it gets a sixth route number: U.S. 23 north. Although still within Atlanta city limit
City limits or city boundaries refer to the defined boundary or border of a city. The area within the city limit can be called the city proper. Town limit/boundary and village limit/boundary apply to towns and villages. Similarly, corporate lim ...
s, it also crosses the county line from Fulton
Fulton may refer to:
People
* Robert Fulton (1765–1815), American engineer and inventor who developed the first commercially successful steam-powered ship
* Fulton (surname)
Given name
* Fulton Allem (born 1957), South African golfer
* Fult ...
into DeKalb DeKalb or De Kalb may refer to:
People
* Baron Johann de Kalb (1721–1780), major general in the American Revolutionary War
Places Municipalities in the United States
* DeKalb, Illinois, the largest city in the United States named DeKalb
**DeKal ...
at this street and enters the Druid Hills neighborhood. Here are the early 20th century mansions of Atlanta's wealthy including the St. John's Chrysostom Melkite Church along in Druid Hills, Atlanta, 2012, formerly the mansion of Asa Griggs 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-C ...
(Senior), and Rainbow Terrace, home of Lucy Beall Candler Owens Heinz Leide
Lucy Beall Candler Owens Heinz Leide (April 11, 1883 – September 3, 1962) was an American heiress. She was the only daughter of Asa Griggs Candler, the co-founder of The Coca-Cola Company."CANDLER, ASA GRIGGS, 1851–1929". ''Asa Griggs Candler ...
at number 1610.
The Druid Hills Historic District incorporates the earlier Druid Hills Parks and Parkways Historic District that was listed on the National Register in 1975, specifically recognizing the parks and parkways along Ponce de Leon Avenue.
The road begins to gradually curve back and forth, and is followed on its south side by South Ponce de Leon Avenue, the land between them being Oak Grove Park. A second segment of linear park is called Dellwood Park, and around Clifton Road
Clifton may refer to:
People
*Clifton (surname)
*Clifton (given name)
Places
Australia
*Clifton, Queensland, a town
**Shire of Clifton
* Clifton, New South Wales, a suburb of Wollongong
*Clifton, Western Australia
Canada
* Clifton, Nova Scoti ...
it finally leaves the city, just before passing the south side of the Fernbank Museum of Natural History
Fernbank Museum of Natural History, in Atlanta, Georgia, is a museum that presents exhibitions and programming about natural history. Fernbank Museum has a number of permanent exhibitions and regularly hosts temporary exhibitions in its expansi ...
. A third segment called North Ponce de Leon Avenue surrounds a heavily forested county park
A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are green spaces set aside for recreation inside towns and cities. N ...
called Deepdene Park, and on its south side, mainline Ponce de Leon Avenue loses U.S. 278 and Georgia 10 at a split with East Lake Road.
Decatur
After a northward curve, it loses its other four route numbers at a split with Scott Boulevard, and continues eastward into the city of Decatur as West Ponce de Leon Avenue. Crossing the centerpoint of downtown at Clairemont Avenue (north) and McDonough Street (south), near city hall and the Decatur MARTA station, it becomes East Ponce de Leon Avenue.
East of Decatur
It then continues on through Scottdale and downtown Clarkston to become Main Street southward through downtown Stone Mountain, then becoming Stone Mountain Lithonia Road on its way south to Lithonia.
It is also an exit at mile 40 off Interstate 285 ("the Perimeter") north. The only way to access I-285 south is to exit onto Church Street, since this is a split diamond interchange, and the two roads run parallel to each other with a railroad line in between these roads.
Improvements
Ponce de Leon Avenue in the City of Atlanta is included in the Ponce/Moreland Corridors Plan as part of the city's comprehensive development plan.
, the Georgia Department of Transportation has decided to begin the design of safety improvements for pedestrians on the two-mile stretch of Ponce between Piedmont and N. Highland/Moreland. Changes proposed include the conversion of an eastbound traffic lane
In road transport, a lane is part of a roadway that is designated to be used by a single line of vehicles to control and guide drivers and reduce traffic conflicts. Most public roads (highways) have at least two lanes, one for traffic in each ...
into a two-way left-turn lane and bike lanes in both directions. The land would include intermittent traffic island
A traffic island is a solid or painted object in a road that channels traffic. It can also be a narrow strip of island between roads that intersect at an acute angle. If the island uses road markings only, without raised curbs or other physica ...
s and "HAWK" pedestrian crossing signals at selected crosswalks where no traffic signals currently exist.PEDS Newsletter, April 2011
/ref>
Major intersections
as East Ponce de Leon Avenue (Decatur east to Stone Mountain)
References
Further reading
about the mansions along Ponce de Leon Avenue
External links
City of Atlanta, Ponce de Leon / Moreland Avenue Corridors Study
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ponce De Leon Avenue
Roads in Atlanta
Virginia-Highland
Druid Hills, Georgia
U.S. Route 23
U.S. Route 29
U.S. Route 78
U.S. Route 278
Old Fourth Ward