Martin Luther King, Jr. Historic Resource Study

ASSOCIATED PROPERTIES AND PROPERTY TYPES

Associated property types for this context are residences and commercial buildings. Ebenezer Baptist Church, Our Lady of Lourdes, and Atlanta Fire Station Number Six are unique properties considered under this context. Physical characteristics of these property types and properties have been detailed above. The associative characteristics of individual properties are determined by how well they represent the building types and architectural styles outlined above. Judgments concerning associative characteristics involve a consideration of original design and workmanship, as well as the integrity of each resource.

As examples of vernacular architecture, Site buildings have significance under National Register Criterion C for design/ construction, if they "embody distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction" [121] and possess integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. Buildings within the Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site are eligible if they have local significance for design or construction and possess sufficient integrity. A description of each Site building is included in Appendix B of this study.

REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS/INTEGRITY

Site building evaluations are based on the degree to which they either embody the pattern of features that defines each building type described above or represent an individual variation within the broader type. Integrity is a key component in the evaluations of eligibility. All buildings possess integrity of location since no buildings within the Site have been moved. Integrity of setting varies from property to property, depending on the alteration of the immediate landscape. However, on the whole, the Birth-Home block and the Edgewood Avenue corridor maintain a high degree of setting integrity since the historic streetscapes and residential landscapes are intact. Few modern intrusions are present. Lists of eligible and ineligible buildings appear below. Buildings determined ineligible because of a lack of integrity and two buildings that are exceptions to the usual fifty-year requirement are discussed in this section.

A number of Site properties are not eligible because they have lost integrity. A fire severely damaged 18 Howell Street, leaving gaping holes in the walls and destroying its integrity. The duplex at 479-481 Old Wheat, which has been converted to a single-family residence and has a wholly reconstructed porch, also lacks sufficient integrity. The duplex at 492-494 Edgewood is not eligible because virtually all of its historic fabric was replaced in a reconstruction. Under the criteria consideration governing reconstructed properties, a reconstruction is eligible only if it is accurately executed, the building is presented as part of a restoration master plan, and no other building with the same associations survives. Because numerous other residential properties on the Birth-Home block carry the same associative values, 492-494 Edgewood is ineligible.

The facade ornamentation and storefronts are the primary architectural features of the commercial buildings on Edgewood Avenue. Where facades and storefronts have been substantially altered, integrity no longer exists. Alterations to 462 Edgewood Avenue have left little trace of the original storefront, making the building ineligible. The filling station at 479 Edgewood is not eligible because it has lost its canopy and other architectural details. The original storefront of 484 Edgewood has been replaced by a contemporary glass and metal facade, making the building not eligible. This is also the case with 513 Edgewood, where a remodeling has left no trace of the original facade and fenestration.

Two Site properties are eligible although they do not meet the fifty-year requirement, because they are of exceptional importance for local architecture as defined under Criteria Consideration G. 458 Edgewood, built in 1946, is an exceptional example of the Art Moderne style, rarely used for commercial buildings in Atlanta. Additionally, the building is an early example of a drive-up business. The building retains its round windows, canopy with metal coping, and streamlined appearance. 510 Edgewood Avenue (1947) is an outstanding early Atlanta example of International style architecture. International style elements include ribbon windows, horizontal lines, and a composition of simple rectangular masses. These two buildings fail to meet the fifty-year rule by four and five years, respectively, and are eligible because they are exceptional examples of styles uncommon in Atlanta.

ELIGIBLE PROPERTIES—LOCAL SIGNIFICANCE

Residential Buildings

Georgian Cottage with Italianate Elements

521 Auburn Avenue (ca. 1886)
521-1/2 Auburn Avenue, store building (ca. 1920)

Double Shotgun Houses

472-474 Auburn Avenue (1905)
476-478 Auburn Avenue (1905)
480-482 Auburn Avenue (1905)
484-486 Auburn Avenue (1905)
488 Auburn Avenue (1905)
53-55 Boulevard (1905)
483-485 Old Wheat Street (1905)
487-489 Old Wheat Street (1905)
493 Auburn Avenue, Rear, Units 1-6 (1911)

Single-Family Houses with Queen Anne Elements

497 Auburn Avenue (ca. 1900)
Birth Home, 501 Auburn Avenue (ca. 1894)
503 Auburn Avenue (ca. 1895)
510 Auburn Avenue (ca. 1890) and back yard wall
514 Auburn Avenue (1893) and side yard wall
518 Auburn Avenue (ca. 1893)
522 Auburn Avenue (ca. 1894) and side yard wall
526 Auburn Avenue (ca. 1895)
530 Auburn Avenue (ca. 1895) and side yard wall (ca. 1895-1945)
535 Auburn Avenue (ca. 1895)
550 Auburn Avenue (ca. 1890)

Vernacular Houses and Apartment Buildings

491-493 Auburn Avenue (1911)
506 Auburn Avenue (1933)
515 Auburn Avenue (1909)
540 Auburn Avenue (ca. 1890)
546 Auburn Avenue (ca. 1890)
53 Hogue Street (ca. 1940)
14 Howell Street (ca. 1927)
24 Howell Street (ca. 1895)
28 Howell Street (ca. 1895)
54 Howell Street (ca. 1931)

Commercial Buildings

420 Edgewood Avenue (1912)
438-442 Edgewood Avenue (1939)
439-441 Edgewood Avenue (1920)
443-445 Edgewood Avenue (1909)
444-446 Edgewood Avenue (1909)
447 Edgewood Avenue (1909)
451 Edgewood Avenue (1915)
458 Edgewood Avenue (1946)
464-468 Edgewood Avenue (1909)
467 Edgewood Avenue (1911)
476-480 Edgewood Avenue (1909)
482 Edgewood Avenue (1908)
483 Edgewood Avenue (1908)
485 Edgewood Avenue (1908)
487 Edgewood Avenue (1909)
488 Edgewood Avenue (1909)
489 Edgewood Avenue (1909)
510 Edgewood Avenue (1947)
541 Edgewood Avenue (1906)

Public and Ecclesiastical Buildings

Ebenezer Baptist Church, 407-413 Auburn Avenue (1914-1922)
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, 29 Boulevard (1912)
Atlanta Fire Station Number Six, 37-39 Boulevard (1894)

NONELIGIBLE PROPERTIES

492-494 Auburn Avenue (ca. 1897)
421-429 Edgewood Avenue (1946)
462 Edgewood Avenue (1927)
479 Edgewood Avenue (1932)
484 Edgewood Avenue (1908)
513 Edgewood Avenue (1920)
525 Edgewood Avenue (1948)
536 Edgewood Avenue (1951)
18 Howell Street (1927)
479-481 Old Wheat Street (1905)