409 Pine St NE, Atlanta, GA 30308

The eclectic Old Fourth Ward community, named for the Atlanta City Council district it once encompassed, is far from the frontier neighborhood it once was. With the old Sears, Roebuck building being transformed from City Hall East to an ambitious mixed-use development, the area has something for everyone. The refurbished 1920’s Craftsman cottages and bungalows blend well with the new retro-style homes as well as lofts and apartments with dramatic views of downtown Atlanta. The planned Historic Fourth Ward Park will be one of the jewels on the proposed Beltline’s “Emerald Necklace.” The old city neighborhood was settled by merchants and businessmen who enjoyed being close to downtown Atlanta. But that worked against them during the Civil War. Their close-in location cost them their homes when the Union forces burned the city. The area was slowly rebuilt with a mix of two-story Victorian and Queen Anne homes. Tragedy struck again in 1917, when an enormous fire destroyed buildings in a 73-block stretch from Auburn Avenue to Ponce de Leon Avenue. Most of the Old Fourth Ward's current homes were built after the 1917 fire. In a controversial move in the 1920s, one of the largest home sites was sold to Georgia Baptist Hospital. The hospital continued to expand during the 1950s and 1960s, buying lots and houses in the community. Residents moved out and the homes and the neighborhood fell into disrepair until its current rebirth. When Atlanta City Council districts were redrawn, the boundaries of the Fourth Ward changed but the name of Old Fourth Ward held fast.