How we got here

Our History

Summerhill has been reshaped again and again by decisions made in the name of regional progress. Streets, highways, stadiums, and redevelopment have each left a lasting mark. That history provides context for understanding current proposals involving the neighborhood’s public land.

Black-and-white aerial map of Summerhill in 1955

Before 1950

A neighborhood built on connection

Summerhill began as a walkable city neighborhood laid out on Atlanta’s street grid, with streetcar connections linking residents to downtown, jobs, shops, schools, and churches. Georgia Avenue served as a neighborhood main street, and daily life was organized around close blocks, public streets, and local institutions.

1950s–1960s

The highway cuts through Summerhill

In the 1950s, highway construction divided the neighborhood and severed many of its connections. Homes and businesses were removed, streets were interrupted, and the new infrastructure made it easier to pass through Summerhill while making life harder for the people who lived there.

Aerial photograph showing change from highway construction

Aerial view of the former Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium and surrounding parking seen from downtown

1960s

The stadium clears what remained

In the 1960s, construction of Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium removed more homes and businesses and surrounded the area with parking. The project was presented as progress for Atlanta, but for Summerhill it completed a long period of displacement and left the neighborhood carrying the cost of a regional attraction.

1996–2016

Olympic Legacy

The 1996 Olympics and the arrival of the Braves brought global attention and major public investment. But from 1996 through 2016, the stadium district did not produce the broad neighborhood revitalization many residents had been promised. Large parking lots remained, the neighborhood suffered, and the Braves eventually left.

Satellite image of Turner Field surrounded by highways and surface parking in 2002

Satellite image of the former Turner Field area after redevelopment

2017–today

Georgia State

The Braves' departure opened the door to new opportunities. The land that was returned to the neighborhood became a grocery store, shops, restaurants, and new housing. The land left for use by Georgia State mostly remains parking lots. The difference is a powerful example of what happens when land is developed around the needs of a neighborhood rather than simply reserved for an institution.

The ATC proposal

History Echoes

Summerhill is finally reaching a point, 70 years after it was devastated by development, where the city grid is healing. Few empty lots remain. In their place is a dense residential neighborhood with a mix of housing, local businesses, and the beginnings of a restored community fabric. It is against this backdrop that Summerhill is once again being asked to set aside its own vision for the neighborhood so that an outside institution can fulfill its own.

Aerial view of Cheney Stadium, Phoenix II Park, and surrounding Summerhill homes