Photo Feature: Bedford Pine Neighborhood
By Ashley Sankey
Digital Storytelling Administrative Assistant
Bedford Pine is an area in Atlanta bounded by North Avenue on the north end, Highland Avenue to the south, Boulevard to the east, and Piedmont Avenue to the west. The area was annexed by Atlanta in 1870 and developed until a fire destroyed businesses and homes in 1917.
After the fire, the neighborhood deteriorated in value and maintenance as middle-class residents moved away and were replaced by people at or near the poverty line.
Wooden barriers provided coverage over broken windows, chipped and peeling wood falling from exterior walls and a warning sign plastered on the front door was not uncommon to find on homes within the Bedford Pine neighborhood of Atlanta during the early 1970s.
A neighborhood faced with poverty and housing inequality, Bedford Pine residents experienced inadequate living conditions. Homes balanced atop cinder blocks, leaving open spaces underneath for debris to gather while spaces between houses were littered with rubble and concrete.
Streets became a playground for children, providing space for adolescents to gather and engage with each other while the foundation of dilapidated homes became seating areas.
The debris left behind by the remains of demolished buildings sat alongside homes, serving as reminders for residents of the memories left behind and how their homes may suffer a similar fate.
Even grocery store advertisements like Buehler’s Supermarket lay dismounted and deteriorating alongside waste not far from someone’s home.
In addition to the absence of unscathed buildings, green spaces were also uncommon to find throughout the neighborhood. Instead of grass, backyards were covered in dirt and debris leaving minimal opportunities for vegetation to thrive.
Most of the structures in the neighborhood were destroyed during the 1960s and 1970s in urban renewal projects.
New housing was constructed during the decades that followed, and Georgia Power Company chose the area for its headquarters in 1979.
Explore Album to find the remaining images of the Bedford Pine neighborhood in Atlanta and learn more about the living conditions community members experienced during the early 1970s.
