Georgia Trust slams GSU’s plan to raze historic building

ATLANTA – The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation is speaking out against Georgia State University’s plan to demolish a nearly century-old building at 148 Edgewood Avenue SE, calling the decision “short-sighted” and a threat to Atlanta’s historic fabric.

What we know:

The building, constructed in 1926 by the Georgia Railway and Power Company, is listed on the Georgia Trust’s 2025 Places in Peril list and is a contributing structure to the Martin Luther King Jr. Landmark District — a nationally recognized historic area. GSU, which acquired the building in 1966 and once used it for academic purposes, now plans to tear it down to make way for greenspace as part of its College Town Downtown initiative and to expand its Fraternity and Sorority Life Plaza.

What they’re saying:

Georgia Trust President and CEO W. Wright Mitchell criticized the move, saying, “Georgia State’s decision to destroy this building, which is structurally sound and architecturally significant, is mystifying. This is especially true since GSU simply intends to use the area for greenspace.”

The Georgia Trust also pointed out that the decision contradicts GSU’s own 2014 Campus Historic Preservation Plan, which identified the building as “worthy of long-term preservation and investment” and suggested it could be “adaptively used to meet the Institute’s educational mission.”

“By removing this building from the Landmark District, GSU will erode the significance of the district and eradicate a tangible link to our city’s past,” Mitchell said. “The Georgia Trust condemns GSU’s short-sighted decision not to adaptively reuse this property in a manner that could benefit Georgia State students and the city of Atlanta.”

The Trust warns that demolishing the building will not only erase a historic structure but will also damage the integrity and character of the surrounding neighborhood.

The other side:

GSU says it wants to create a green space for students, faculty and staff. The university says it will use bricks from the building in the new park and dedicate a mural to 148 Edgewood. The plan is part of the university’s redevelopment project dubbed “College Town Downtown,” according to RoughDraft Atlanta.