central business district, to an area between Northside Avenue to the east, Bankhead Highway to the north, Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard to the south, and the Chattahoochee River to the west. 63 Other losses related to urban renewal is how businesses and entrepreneurs in the Butler Street and Buttermilk Bottom neighborhoods were affected as they were displaced. Additionally, the toll of the loss of wealth displaced Black homeowners endured remains unknown as property was acquired by eminent domain. Eminent Domain Former residents or descendants have reported various types of losses including social and familial bonds, economic and wealth impacts, and the amenities extended by living proximate to the city compared to far-flung relocation areas like Bowen Homes and Thomasville Heights. Urban renewal policies did not take these losses that Atlanta’s Black residents would experience into account largely the White business and civic leaders were in the position to make decisions, and all the gains were transferred to the City. 64
Figure B-6: "Atlanta Wall - Peyton Road" Kenan Research Center
From the 1960s to the 1980s, Atlanta undertook several types of urban renewal projects including the construction of Fulton County Stadium, the expansion of Georgia State University, the development of the Civic Center, and the creation of Interstate 75, 85, and 20. Each of these projects were executed caused irreparable harm or destroyed Black neighborhoods. The Stitch’s goal is to repair the harm by “reconnection the community via an equitable, green, and vibrant center.” 65 Consistent with renaming a place during the revitalization process, the Buttermilk Bottom and Butler Street areas were first called “Bedford Pine” in a 1960’s application for redevelopment. 66 The footprint of the Atlanta Civic Center remains in the heart of Buttermilk Bottom, a smaller geographic space within the Bedford-Pine section of the Fourth Ward. 67 Today, the memory of Buttermilk Bottom conjures tales of home-based businesses, 63 “Implications of Relocation”. 64 65 “The Project”, The Stitch, https://thestitchatl.com/project. 66 Wood, “The Bedford Pine Neighborhood.” p. ii 67 Mary Booth Thomas, “Apartment Renovation Under Way,” The Atlanta Journal, February 9, 1978, 4C.
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