About
The English Avenue community is located on the west side of Atlanta, GA. Located only steps from Georgia Tech, the World Congress Center and the Georgia Dome, the neighborhood is home to many hardworking Atlantans and carries with it a connection to historical events. During the 1950s and '60s, the west side of Atlanta was the site for organizing many pivotal events of the American Civil Rights movement. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife Coretta raised their four kids in a home only blocks away in the Vine City neighborhood.
Info
garden started
May 2008
crops
tomatoes, peppers, okra, squash, cucumbers, eggplant, green beans, broccoli, lettuce, peas, spinach, rosemary, oregano, basil
partnerships
Hands On Atlanta, English Avenue Neighborhood Association, Friends of English Avenue, Trees Atlanta, Mission Year
current needs
✭ New or used garden tools, power tools (drill, circular saw), wheelbarrows
✭ Pressure treated lumber for benches and flower planters
✭ Volunteer labor!
English Avenue Community
Mattie Freeland Community Garden
English Avenue is named for James English, a banker, brick company owner and mayor of the city from 1881-83. The area was home to middle class working families throughout the late 19th and 20th centuries. Streetcars connected it with the rest of the city, with lines traveling down nearby Kennedy Street and Bankhead Avenue.
With desegregation came the expansion of housing opportunities for the city's African American population. Many settled in English Avenue, though not without incident. The area has suffered recently due to increased crime and drug activity, but there exists a strong group of community members who are concerned about the future of their neighborhood. We hope in our efforts to bring these folks together and realize life and peace amidst what can sometimes be a troubled environment.
The neighborhood is bounded by Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard to the west, Northside Drive to the east, Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway to the north and Joseph E. Boone Boulevard (formerly Simpson Street) to the south. Surrounding neighborhoods include Washington Park, Bankhead, Vine City and the West End.
For more information on the English Avenue community, please see the following documents:
2008 Georgia Tech Planning Studio addressing the vacant housing issue and proposed use for Proctor Village site
English Avenue Redevelopment Plan Update (adopted by Atlanta City Council in 2006)
This garden started as an effort of New Life Covenant Church in the spring of 2008. The lot on which the garden now stands is owned by the church and formerly served as a parking lot of sorts for many years. To keep contaminants in the ground from affecting the growth of plants, it was decided that raised garden beds would be constructed.
A group of church members and neighbors gathered on Memorial Day weekend to clear the land and construct the boxes. More boxes were built in the following weeks and planted with vegetables and herbs.
The garden expanded in fall 2009 to include five additional raised beds, a picnic area and field for neighborhood kids to play.
