Peachtree Street Southwest: Can you believe it was once Whitehall Street? South Downtown is a historic neighborhood in Atlanta. It is primarily home to city, county, state and federal governmental offices. This led to the area being called “Government Walk.”
South Downtown avoided the redevelopment boom of the 1960s and 1970s. Many architecturally significant buildings were demolished during that time. South Downtown still has many buildings from the 1950s and earlier. These buildings retain their historic structural integrity.
South Downtown is north of I-20. It is east of Castleberry Hill. South Downtown is south of Five Points and west of I-85. Underground Atlanta is near South Downtown. It is a shopping and entertainment center. The railroad gulch separates South Downtown from Five Points and the Hotel District.
South Downtown was once a bustling shopping district. Whitehall Street was Atlanta’s principal shopping street. This lasted from the 1850s until the mid-20th century. An 1854 source reported the street was being built up with brick stores. Broad Street was the market district. Atlanta historians call the area the “Heart of Atlanta” commercial district.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, several department stores were in South Downtown. In the 1870s, the “Big Five” were Rich’s, Chamberlain, Boyton and Co., Ryan’s, Keeley’s and Dougherty’s. Later, the J.M. High Company joined them. By the 1930s, Rich’s dominated the South Downtown shopping district. In 1949, Whitehall was filled with five and dime stores. These included McCrory’s, S.H. Kress, Woolworth’s and W.T. Grant.
As late as 1968, the northern end of Whitehall was still called a bustling retail corridor. Today, Peachtree Street Southwest is a low-end shopping area. Several older retail buildings have been converted into malls. Metro Mall is in the old McCrory’s building. The Mall at 82 Peachtree is in the Rich’s 1906 building. Landmark Miller’s Rexall Drugs continues its trade. It offers hoodoo and homeopathic remedies at Broad and Mitchell streets since 1965.
Hotel Row is in South Downtown. It is a historic district listed on the National Register. It consists of one block of early 20th century commercial buildings. These 3-4 story buildings are on Mitchell Street west of Forsyth Street. The buildings were originally hotels. They served passengers from Terminal Station, which opened in 1905 and was demolished in 1971. These buildings are the most intact row of early 20th century commercial structures in Atlanta’s original business district. Hotel Row declined in the 1920s. This was due to increased automobile transportation. The Spring Street viaduct made getting to hotels in the northern part of the city easier.
South Downtown is home to governmental facilities. These include the City of Atlanta, Fulton County and the State of Georgia. South Downtown also has federal government offices. This influenced the city to market the area as “Government Walk.” Notable government buildings include Atlanta City Hall. Others are the Georgia State Capitol and the Fulton County Courthouse. Also, there are the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Building. Plus the Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center and the Richard B. Russell Federal Building.
To the east of Central Avenue, many State of Georgia offices are located. Examples are the Georgia Department of Transportation and the Georgia Department of Agriculture. The Georgia Supreme Court is also in the area.
MARTA provides public transportation to South Downtown. The Garnett Transit Station is on Peachtree Street. The Georgia State Station is on Piedmont Avenue. Many commuters from the southern suburbs travel on South Downtown’s streets. Many streets in this district are one-way. Peachtree Street has many stores. It is the primary two-way north-south street in this district. Trinity Avenue and Memorial Drive are the only two-way streets running east and west. Central Avenue is a primary northbound street. It is the main route for commuters from the southern suburbs. Pryor Street is a primary southbound street. It is one of the routes out of Downtown for commuters to the southern and western suburbs.
South Downtown is a neighborhood with a rich history. It has evolved over time. Today, it remains an important part of Atlanta.