A Statement on Georgia State University’s Decision to Move Forward with the Demolition of 148 Edgewood Avenue

ATLANTA,  Aug. 5, 2025 — The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation is deeply concerned by Georgia State University’s decision to demolish the historic building located at 148 Edgewood Avenue SE, Atlanta, a property included on the Georgia Trust’s 2025 Places in Peril list and a contributing structure to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Landmark District.
 
“The Georgia Trust is aware that Georgia State University (GSU) has decided to demolish 148 Edgewood Avenue, a building that is listed as one of our 2025 Places in Peril. This building is a contributing structure within the Martin Luther King, Jr. Landmark District, a nationally significant area,” said Georgia Trust President and CEO W. Wright Mitchell. “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. 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. 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.”
 
Constructed in 1926 by the Georgia Railway and Power Company, the building served as a power substation that energized downtown Atlanta. After acquiring the property in 1966, Georgia State University used the structure for various academic purposes, including as a facility for its photography department. Despite its historic status, Georgia State plans to demolish the building to create greenspace for the Fraternity and Sorority Life Plaza as part of its College Town Downtown initiative. This decision directly contradicts the University’s own 2014 Campus Historic Preservation Plan, which recognized the building as “worthy of long-term preservation and investment,” and noted its potential to be “adaptively used to meet the Institute’s educational mission.”
 
The Georgia Trust sees this as an avoidable loss, particularly since the structure remains structurally sound and capable of adaptive reuse—a solution that could have served the needs of Georgia State students while preserving a vital piece of Atlanta’s heritage. The loss of this structure endangers the integrity of the district and will have a clearly detrimental effect on the character of the neighborhood.
 
About the Georgia Trust’s Places in Peril Program
Each year, the Georgia Trust’s Places in Peril program brings attention to historic sites threatened by demolition, neglect, inappropriate development, or public policy decisions. The program aims to identify sites of architectural, archaeological, and cultural significance in need of preservation, engaging the public and stakeholders in their protection. For more information about the Georgia Trust’s Places in Peril program, visit www.georgiatrust.org.

About the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation
Founded in 1973, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation is one of the country’s leading statewide, nonprofit preservation organizations. The Trust works for the preservation and revitalization of Georgia’s diverse historic resources and advocates their appreciation, protection and use.

The Georgia Trust generates community revitalization by finding buyers for endangered properties acquired by its Revolving Fund and raises awareness of other endangered historic resources through an annual listing of Georgia’s “Places in Peril.” The Trust recognizes preservation projects and individuals with its annual Preservation Awards, honors students and professionals with the Neel Reid Prize and Liz Lyon Fellowship, and has multiple grant programs that assist in the preservation of historic sites across the state. The Trust offers a variety of educational programs for adults and children, provides technical assistance to property owners and historic communities, advocates for funding, tax incentives and other laws aiding preservation efforts, and manages two house museums in Atlanta (Rhodes Hall) and Macon (Hay House). To learn more, visit www.georgiatrust.org.

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