ANT190 takes on Auburn Avenue
Our class field trip on Thursday, March 23 took us through ‘Sweet’ Auburn Avenue, a historically rich area in downtown Atlanta. Our stroll through the street gave us a closer look at how the establishments reflect history, and the process and implication of gentrification.
Preserved, working class shotgun houses across from affluent two-story homes
Our first stop provided insight to the social living of African Americans in Auburn Avenue, essentially addressing as to what made Auburn Avenue ‘sweet.’ As seen in my photographs, the shotgun houses of the working-class African Americans and the larger homes of the middle to upper-class African Africans, including MLK Jr.’s, resided on the same street. The establishments themselves and their proximity establish a dichotomous yet harmonious social living of African American.
Atlanta Life Insurance, 148 Auburn Avenue
The building that I was assigned to research and present on was the Atlanta Life Insurance Company. As one of the strongest black financial institutions to emerge in the early 20th century, Atlanta Life Insurance serves as an example of the effort of African Americans to gain economic control in a discriminatory America. However, when seeing the establishment in person, I was shocked at how unkempt the beautiful building was; There was black paint and old wood placed over the windows and door of the building. Personally, I feel that it is a shame that such a historically significant building to be deteriorating in this way.
Mural in Auburn Avenue
While walking from site to site, our group encountered a mural that appears to highlight the history of Auburn Avenue. After hearing the presentations and viewing this image again, I realized that many of the establishments mentioned were also seen in this mural, including Atlanta Daily World, Atlanta Life Insurance, and The Royal Peacock. I feel that this mural is appropriate in Auburn Avenue and nicely encompasses its history.
Silver Moon Barber and Formulas Salon
One of the clearest examples of gentrification that I noticed was in these two contrasting hair salons that were seen in relative close proximity in Auburn Avenue. While Silver Moon Barber Shop is “the oldest black shop in Atlanta,” we can see the new and trendy salon of Formulas Hair and Beauty Bar. This clear contrast had me think about how the traditional community before gentrification are being impacted.
Sweet Auburn Curb Market
Lastly, our group briefly stopped by the Municipal Market. As I have never been to a traditional, local food market before, the environment and experience was new to me. I remember comparing the different products to ones that I would see in a typical grocery store.