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Arts Atlanta:

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following article was exceptionally popular with our readers. We’re resharing it with you now. Thank you for a wonderful 2024! Actor Jeff Daniels accepted the role of Charlie Croker in Netflix’s new series A Man in Full. Here, Daniels talks about changes in culture and racial relations since the novel’s 1990s publication....

From the Atlanta Daily World:

Quavo and the team at Quavo Cares hosted their second annual Huncho Farms in partnership with the Atlanta Community Food Bank and the Atlanta City Council. Supporting seniors who are raising their grandchildren, Quavo Cares continues to pursue its mission to support communities facing food scarcity. The vibrant marketplace offered live music and holiday-themed activities for their 500 families in addition to … Continued

The post Quavo Teams Up With Atlanta Community Food Bank, Atlanta City Council To Support Communities Facing Food Scarcity appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

From the Atlanta Daily World:

Today, the Biden-Harris Administration announced sentences for 37 of 40 individuals on federal death row were commuted from execution to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) President and CEO Shavon Arline-Bradley issued the following statement: “We commend President Joe Biden for commuting the sentences of majority of individuals … Continued

The post NCNW Issues Statement on Biden-Harris Administration Commutations appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

From the Atlanta Daily World:

By Donald James, Senior Writer Gone, but not forgotten. The year 2024 witnessed the passing of many notable and extraordinary people locally and nationally. As we reflect on their lives, achievements, and legacies, it is done so with the hope of inspiring future generations to excel. While it would be difficult to chronicle all the … Continued

The post Remembering the Lives Lost in 2024, Locally and Nationally appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

From the Atlanta Daily World:

21 Savage and his Leading By Example Foundation hosted their sixth annual holiday toy drive at The Porter Sanford III Performing Arts & Community Center in partnership with Dekalb County of Atlanta.  At this year’s lively annual giveback 21 Savage and the Leading By Example foundation provide over 3,000 toys, clothes, food, bikes and additional Christmas gifts to over 1,000 families … Continued

The post 21 Savage, Dekalb County Of Atlanta Hosts 6th Annual Holiday Toy Drive appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

From the Atlanta Daily World:

Daniel Penny was arraigned on May 12 on a charge of second-degree manslaughter of Jordan Neely. Penny was acquitted of the crime this month (AP pic under a CC BY 4.0 license). In 2023, a fatal encounter occurred aboard a New York subway train when Daniel Penny, a 24-year-old White marine veteran, used a chokehold … Continued

The post J. Pharoah Doss: Did Good Samaritans deadlock the Danial Penny Jury? appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

From the Saporta Report:

The holiday season is in full swing, with Halloween and Thanksgiving in the rearview mirror and Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and New Years in the weeks to come. And with it, trash. A lot of trash. We tend to be excellent at throwing things “away,” but many would be challenged to truly describe what “away” looks […]

The post The cost of holiday shopping goes beyond the price tag appeared first on SaportaReport.

Best Atlanta Neighborhood 2024, Elite Eight: Summerhill vs. Old Fourth Ward Josh Green Mon, 12/23/2024 - 16:53 As part of ongoing Best of Atlanta 2024 coverage, Urbanize’s fourth-annual Best Atlanta Neighborhood tournament kicked off last week with 16 places vying for the prestige of being called the city’s greatest.

Now, for this Elite Eight contest, voting will be open for just 24 hours. Please, let’s keep the tourney fun and positive, as one neighborhood rises above the rest in very public fashion. The quest to crown a champion resumes now!

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(3) Old Fourth Ward

Forth Atlanta's 2,300-square-foot outdoor pool deck (shown at bottom) offers lounge seating and cabanas for club members and hotel guests.

Beltline-connected Old Fourth Ward has been a hotbed of supersonic growth for what seems like ages now. As usual, O4W happenings this year were too numerous to list here, but a few highlights: Two high-rise hospitality concepts—New City’s diamond-patterned Forth hotel and the Scout Living tower over Ponce City Market—drew back their curtains in 2024, as rare for-sale condos debuted nearby at The Leon on Ponce. Speaking of Ponce, a Complete Streets overhaul came together as an effort to improve pedestrian and bike connections between Boulevard and John Lewis Freedom Parkway. Elsewhere, the Atlanta Civic Center redo edged toward groundbreaking, and the relatively affordable evolution of Boulevard continued to rise. Nonetheless, this eastside powerhouse hasn’t claimed the (nonexistent) trophy in one of these contests for a dozen years. But could that change in ’24?

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(6) Summerhill

Wes Cummings, RealKit Photography; courtesy of Keller Williams Intown Atlanta

Another year, another slate of big changes in historic, evolving Summerhill. Most notably, MARTA’s first new transit line in more than two decades—a five-mile bus-rapid transit route actually named for the neighborhood, MARTA Rapid Summerhill—has made progress in fundamentally noticeable ways throughout 2024, with a goal of welcoming its first passengers next year. Elsewhere, Georgia State University’s planned baseball and softball complex got its ducks in a row this year, where Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium once stood, as another area landmark, the former Ramada Plaza tower, was green-lighted to become affordable senior housing. Meanwhile, the densification of Georgia Avenue continued with 10 stylish townhomes on a previously vacant corner, as other townhome product broke ground on a former church lot. Business as usual in neighborly old Summerhill.

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Best of Atlanta 2024 Best Atlanta Neighborhood Best Atlanta Neighborhoods Neighborhood Tournament Mozley Park Summerhill Avondale Estates Hapeville Golden Urby Chalice of Champions Elite Eight Old Fourth Ward

Subtitle Who should advance to the Final Four? Cast your vote now!

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Westside project along Beltline trail takes key step forward Josh Green Mon, 12/23/2024 - 13:39 A longstanding civil rights organization that’s plotting a new campus on Atlanta’s Westside has selected an architect and developer—and announced ambitions to achieve the greenest certification possible for its local headquarters.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, a nonprofit legal advocacy agency founded in 1971, has picked Atlanta-based Quest Ventures to design and build its campus at 871 Wheeler St. in English Avenue.

Veteran local architecture firm Cooper Carry—which partnered with Quest to develop a mixed-use employment, retail, and housing hub in nearby Vine City two years ago—is also on board with the SPLC project.

SPLC officials recently announced the English Avenue campus will seek Living Building Challenge certification, which is considered the highest possible green building certification. (Georgia Tech’s Kendeda Building was the first project of significant scale in the South to achieve the certification in 2021.)

After deciding to decamp from its Atlanta headquarters near downtown Decatur, Montgomery, Ala.-based SPLC purchased the Beltline-adjacent site last December, following a two-year search.

The 871 Wheeler St. property's location in relation to Midtown and downtown landmarks. Photo courtesy of Real Estate Photos Atlanta

The main structure on site today, as seen along Wheeler Street with the BeltLine connecting trail behind it. Google Maps

The 2.5-acre property is located directly on the 1.7-mile Westside Beltline Connector, a link between downtown and the Beltline’s Westside Trail, a section of the 22-mile mainline loop.

Situated immediately east of Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard, roughly midway between Georgia Tech and Westside Park, the brick warehouse building on SPLC’s site is occupied by Verco Materials, a protective armor manufacturer, records show.  

A SPLC rep tells Urbanize Atlanta the tenant’s lease on site now runs through summer 2025. A cell tower that’s also on site will remain standing but won’t interfere with SPLC’s development plans. 

SPLC’s goal is to break ground in the second half of 2025. Renderings of the new campus won’t be revealed until the first phase of community consultations are finished, according to SPLC officials. Few details about the project’s scope have been confirmed.

General plans for the expanded campus call for free event space, affordable commercial spaces for local entrepreneurs of color, spaces for programming to support Westside residents and community groups, and other resources aimed at uplifting the community, according to SPLC leadership.

The Westside BeltLine Connector shown with the Southern Poverty Law Center's new 2.5-acre property behind it near Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard. Google Maps

Photo courtesy of Real Estate Photos Atlanta

SPLC has had an office in Atlanta since 2006. As its lease was expiring in Decatur, SPLC’s leadership sensed an opportunity to expand to a larger facility that’s more accessible to local communities of need. Plans initially called for building a 60,000-square-foot office complex or renovating an existing structure.  

The future Westside campus “is not only a new office for SPLC staff, but also a major investment in a community grounded in civil rights history,” Margaret Huang, SPLC president and CEO, said in a prepared statement. “We intentionally sought out an Atlanta-based team that specializes in equitable, community-focused development. Quest’s strong connection to the Westside makes them the ideal partner.”

SPLC's campus won't be the only significant new investment in the immediate area. 

Earlier this month, Atlanta Housing and developer Windsor Stevens Holdings broke ground on a 137-unit, mixed-use project called The Proctor. That's moving forward on the block directly south of SPLC's property. 

The Southern Poverty Law Center's new location, midway between Georgia Tech and Westside Park. Google Maps

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871 Wheeler Street Southern Poverty Law Center Margaret Huang Avison Young Atlanta Nonprofits Decatur SPLC Request for Proposals Racial Justice MARTA Alternate Transportation Office Space Michelle Browder Westside BeltLine Connector Quest Ventures Living Building Challenge Living Building Cooper Carry(16664)

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The Southern Poverty Law Center's new location, midway between Georgia Tech and Westside Park. Google Maps

The 871 Wheeler St. property's location in relation to Midtown and downtown landmarks. Photo courtesy of Real Estate Photos Atlanta

The Westside BeltLine Connector shown with the Southern Poverty Law Center's new 2.5-acre property behind it near Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard. Google Maps

The main structure on site today, as seen along Wheeler Street with the BeltLine connecting trail behind it. Google Maps

Photo courtesy of Real Estate Photos Atlanta

Subtitle Southern Poverty Law Center to claim 2.5-acre site on Westside Beltline Connector in English Avenue

Neighborhood English Avenue

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Photographer Real Estate Photos Atlanta

Photographer Link https://realestatephotosatlanta.com/

From WABE Arts and Culture News:

The world of fashion has been expanding its horizons at recent seasons of Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week, featuring the event’s first-ever sub-Saharan African designer, the Cameroonian couture creator Imane […]

From the Atlanta Tribune:

In an era of inexplicable dwindling federal and state support for the invaluable urban treasures known as Historically Black Colleges and Universities, galas such as the annual UNCF Atlanta Mayor’s Masked Ball become even more crucial to the sustainability of these hallowed institutions of higher learning. City leaders and fundraiser organizers proudly announce that the […]

The post UNCF Raises Nearly $4 Million at Atlanta Mayor’s Masked Ball appeared first on Atlanta Tribune.

From the Atlanta Tribune:

  Fulton County offices and facilities will be closed from Tuesday, December 24 through Friday, December 27. Offices will resume regular operations on Monday, December 23 and Monday, December 30.   For the New Year holiday, offices will be closed on Tuesday, December 31 and Wednesday, January 1, 2025. Normal business hours will resume on […]

The post Fulton County Offices and Facilities Closed on December 24-27 and December 31 – January 1 appeared first on Atlanta Tribune.

From the Atlanta Tribune:

Denzel Washington got baptized and became a minister during a live-streamed ceremony on Saturday (December 21). According to PEOPLE, Washington, 69, was baptized at the Kelly Temple Church of God in Christ, located in Harlem, New York. Video of the ceremony livestreamed on Facebook showed the actor wearing a gray T-shirt and black sweatpants as […]

The post Denzel Washington Gets Baptized, Becomes Minister appeared first on Atlanta Tribune.

From the Atlanta Daily World:

Photo: Getty Images Denzel Washington got baptized and became a minister during a live-streamed ceremony on Saturday (December 21). According to PEOPLE, Washington, 69, was baptized at the Kelly Temple Church of God in Christ, located in Harlem, New York. Video of the ceremony livestreamed on Facebook showed the actor wearing a gray T-shirt and … Continued

The post Denzel Washington Gets Baptized, Becomes Minister appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

Best Atlanta Neighborhood 2024, Elite Eight: Downtown vs. East ATL Josh Green Mon, 12/23/2024 - 12:45 As part of ongoing Best of Atlanta 2024 coverage, Urbanize’s fourth-annual Best Atlanta Neighborhood tournament kicked off last week with 16 places vying for the prestige of being called the city’s greatest.

Now, for this Elite Eight contest, voting will be open for just 24 hours. Please, let’s keep the tourney fun and positive, as one neighborhood rises above the rest in very public fashion. The quest to crown a champion resumes now!

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(5) Downtown

The 1.25-million-square-foot tower's facade of wall-to-wall glass. Courtesy of Signia by Hilton Atlanta

In 2024, downtown finally started doing its best Midtown impression, beginning with the official opening of a nearly 1,000-room glassy hotel tower in January and not really slowing down from there. The Gulch started clearly becoming something more vibrant and useful, as Centennial Yards morphed into a massive construction zone with two towers now standing and more World Cup-focused development not far behind. Meanwhile, Atlanta Ventures’ team of entrepreneurs kept putting more money where their mouths are, adding properties and launching renovations across a portfolio of more than 50 buildings and 6 acres of parking lots. Elsewhere, MARTA’s Five Points overhaul is back on track, the storied Atlanta Constitution building and Stitch project are showing promise, Underground is set to grow way up, a groundbreaking for the 2 Peachtree tower’s affordable housing conversion appears imminent—and that’s just scratching the surface. 

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(4) East Atlanta

Peaceful Sea Photography; courtesy of Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty

Usually a tough out in year-end neighborhood tournaments (see: the match with College Park in Round 1 last week), East Atlanta garnered enough reader nominations this year to land a big-boy No. 4 seed. Which makes sense, given the buzz around several EAV projects this year (and what could have been the most rollicking East Atlanta Strut festival to date in September). Celebrated artist Greg Mike transformed a 1980s church in the village to a modern-gothic temple to creativity, while commendably old-school designs for mixed-use development on a small scale came to light on a vacant East Atlanta corner. Elsewhere, frequent village investors Pellerin Real Estate are bringing an infill project with dozens of new homes to a site where little more than a void in EAV’s vibrancy existed before. Not too shabby. 

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Best of Atlanta 2024 Best Atlanta Neighborhood Best Atlanta Neighborhoods Neighborhood Tournament Mozley Park Summerhill Avondale Estates Hapeville Golden Urby Chalice of Champions East Atlanta Downtown Downtown Atlanta Elite Eight

Subtitle Who should advance to the Final Four? Cast your vote now!

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From the Saporta Report:

Atlanta Housing (AH), in collaboration with Invest Atlanta, the City of Atlanta, the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, and development partners Timshel Development, CRN Development, Gateway Development Corporation, and Hill Tide Development, announces the grand opening of Juanita H. Gardner Village (the “Village”). This new construction community provides 108 affordable housing units for seniors, featuring […]

The post Atlanta Housing and Partners Celebrate with Ribbon-Cutting at Juanita H. Gardner Village appeared first on SaportaReport.

From the Saporta Report:

Every person deserves the opportunity for a full and healthy life. But this is not the reality for many people of color and others whose health suffers because of social factors beyond their control. Poverty, income disparities, food insecurity and the lack of healthy housing have significant implications for health risk and the ability to […]

The post Advancing Health Equity: A Collaborative Approach to Community Wellness appeared first on SaportaReport.

Centennial Yards' next high-rise tops out beside Mercedes-Benz Stadium Josh Green Mon, 12/23/2024 - 10:43 Two years after breaking ground, Centennial Yards’ first two high-rise projects have officially reached maximum height over Atlanta’s former Gulch, across the street from Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

After rising quickly throughout the fall, the latest tower to officially top out has been christened “Hotel Phoenix” (previously called Anthem) as a nod to the mythical bird and Atlanta city symbol.

Following a topping-out ceremony Wednesday, Centennial Yards Company officials say the focus for the 292-room hotel’s more than 500-member construction team will turn to finishing the hotel’s interior, with a goal of opening in summer 2025.

Hotel Phoenix’s sibling tower, the 304-unit The Mitchell luxury apartments, topped out in August at a site just south of the hotel, marking the $5-billion, 50-acre megaproject’s first ground up new construction to stand at max height.

Both buildings stand 18 stories, between The Benz and active railroad tracks below.

Where the 292-room Hotel Phoenix stands today. Photo by @CentennialYards on Instagram

Plans for Hotel Phoenix call for 15 suites and penthouses with city views described as “panoramic” and private balconies. Elsewhere on site will be 15,000 square feet of flex event space (8,000 square feet of that a ballroom), plus several dining options. Those will include a rooftop restaurant with a private elevator entrance, a lobby coffee bar, and an all-day restaurant and bar, according to Centennial Yards officials.

Other facets of the building will include an outdoor event lawn, a fitness center, and a resort-style pool with private cabanas, officials said.

Materials chosen for Hotel Phoenix—reclaimed wood, stone finishes, polished metals—will aim to echo Atlanta’s industrial roots, as the property will be situated near the city’s birthplace at the Western & Atlantic Railway terminus. The building’s architecture “showcases parallel and intersecting lines that are reminiscent of historic railway tracks,” according to a project description.

“Just as Atlanta once rose from the ashes of a fire, symbolizing renewal and growth, Centennial Yards is also emerging from its past,” Brian McGowan, Centennial Yards Company president, said in a prepared statement. “After many years of [the area] being underused, we look forward to contributing to the lively Atlanta that everyone in this city deserves.”

As seen in August, at right, the high-rise hotel project climbed quickly throughout the autumn months this year. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

In other Centennial Yards news, project leaders say The Mitchell building has signed its first lease, inking a concept called Khao Thai Eatery, which will serve Thai tapas and cocktails by 26 Thai.

East of the topped-out towers, Centennial Yards Company is also actively building an 8-acre, mixed-use entertainment hub anchored by a three-level Cosm entertainment dome with a mid-rise hotel and fan plaza at the center. Those buildings are scheduled to be finished in time for eight FIFA World Cup matches to be played in Atlanta, beginning in June 2026.

About 480,000 square feet of space at that section will be dedicated to retail, entertainment, and dining, per developers.

How Centennial Yards' first two towers (The Mitchell apartments, in foreground, and the new hotel behind it) stand in relation to the football and soccer arena. Courtesy of Centennial Yards Company

The AJC reports that six buildings—including the standing apartment and hotel towers—are under construction around the former Gulch now. A third new Centennial Yards hotel project on a smaller scale is also in the pipeline at 88 Elliott St. That long, slender site is situated between active rail lines and the historic Castleberry Hill neighborhood, across the street from the former Elliott Street Pub and Atlanta Fire Station No. 1, near the western section of the pedestrians-only Steele Bridge.

Centennial Yards officials initially submitted that hotel project to the city as a multifamily residential building standing a maximum of about five stories, crowned with rooftop decks.

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70 Centennial Olympic Park Drive NW Hotel Phoenix 95 Centennial Olympic Park Drive The Mitchell Centennial Yards Hotel 250 MARTIN Luther King Jr. Drive SW Centennial Yards apartments Cooper Carry Gulch Affordable Housing Nelson Street Bridge CIM Group Centennial Yards Castleberry Hill South Downtown Ted Turner Drive Foster + Partners Brian McGowan Atlanta Construction Atlanta Development Good Van Slyke Architecture Perkins & Will Perkins&Will TVS SOM Design Skidmore Owings & Merrill Atlanta Hotels World Cup World Cup 2026 Cosm D.A. Davidson’s Development Finance Group Truist Securities Atlanta Development Authority CYCo Spring Street LLC financing J.P. Morgan

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As seen in August, at right, the high-rise hotel project climbed quickly throughout the autumn months this year. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Where the 292-room Hotel Phoenix stands today. Photo by @CentennialYards on Instagram

How Centennial Yards' first two towers (The Mitchell apartments, in foreground, and the new hotel behind it) stand in relation to the football and soccer arena. Courtesy of Centennial Yards Company

Subtitle 292-room tower in Atlanta’s former Gulch officially christened “Hotel Phoenix”

Neighborhood Downtown

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Centennial Yards - 125 Ted Turner Dr SW One Centennial Yards

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From the Atlanta Daily World:

In an era of inexplicable dwindling federal and state support for the invaluable urban treasures known as Historically Black Colleges and Universities, galas such as the annual UNCF Atlanta Mayor’s Masked Ball become even more crucial to the sustainability of these hallowed institutions of higher learning. City leaders and fundraiser organizers proudly announce that the … Continued

The post UNCF Raises Nearly $4 Million at Atlanta Mayor’s Masked Ball appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

From the New York Times:

She sang the famous refrain “Le freak, c’est chic,” on one of disco’s biggest hits and was a sought-after vocalist for many prominent artists.

From the Atlanta Daily World:

Former Georgia Senator Vincent Fort has passed at the age of 68. Fort was a key political and civil rights leader in Georgia for several decades.  Fort, a member of the Democratic Party, came to the Atlanta area in the 1970s to attend Atlanta University (now Clark Atlanta University). He would remain a key fixture … Continued

The post Vincent Fort, Former Georgia Senator, Has Passed At 68 appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

From WABE Arts and Culture News:

The Georgia-born president and humanitarian Jimmy Carter celebrated his 100th birthday this year, making him the oldest former President in US History. This year has seen a flood of memories […]

Arts Atlanta:

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following article was exceptionally popular with our readers. We’re resharing it with you now. Thank you for a wonderful 2024! MINT Gallery closed its doors abruptly last week, leaving studio artists scrambling to move out and find new studio space. :: Photographer Gene Dominique doesn’t have much time. It is a little...

From the Atlanta Daily World:

The Atlanta Falcons’ 1st round draft pick Michael Penix, Jr. said that he was prepared for the moment. Making his first NFL start against the lowly New York Giants, Penix remained steady and displayed the skills that made him one of the top quarterbacks in his class.  “I worked extremely hard to get to this … Continued

The post Michael Penix Jr. Steady In 1st NFL Start, Falcons Regain NFC South Lead appeared first on Atlanta Daily World.

From WABE Politics News:

President Joe Biden announced on Monday that he is commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump, an […]