ATLANTA \u2014 Georgia State University plans to demolish the historic building at 148 Edgewood Ave. SE in Atlanta, a decision that has drawn criticism from the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation.<\/p>\n
The university\u2019s decision to demolish the building comes after a public hearing in May on the plans. <\/p>\n
The building, constructed in 1926 by the Georgia Railway and Power Company, is part of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Landmark District and was listed on the Georgia Trust\u2019s 2025 Places in Peril<\/a>. <\/p>\n The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation condemned in a Tuesday news release<\/a> Georgia State\u2019s decision to replace it with greenspace for the Fraternity and Sorority Life Plaza despite the building\u2019s historic significance and structural soundness.<\/p>\n [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks<\/a>]<\/p>\n \u201cBy removing this building from the Landmark District, GSU will erode the significance of the district and eradicate a tangible link to our city\u2019s past,\u201d said Georgia Trust President and CEO W. Wright Mitchell. \u201cThe Georgia Trust condemns GSU\u2019s short-sighted decision not to adaptively reuse this property in a manner that could benefit Georgia State students and the city of Atlanta.\u201d<\/p>\n Channel 2\u2019s Steve Gehlbach talked to Mitchell back in late June about the property.<\/p>\n He told Gelhbach he would like \u201cadaptive reuse of the structure and really service the students of Georgia State and also the citizens of Atlanta. This is something that belongs to us,\u201d<\/p>\n PREVIOUS COVERAGE:<\/p>\n Georgia State University acquired the 148 Edgewood Avenue property in 1966. The university used the structure for various academic purposes, including as a facility for its photography department. <\/p>\n The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation also said the university\u2019s decision directly contradicts the University\u2019s own 2014 Campus Historic Preservation Plan, which recognized the building as \u201cworthy of long-term preservation and investment,\u201d and noted its potential to be \u201cadaptively used to meet the Institute\u2019s educational mission.\u201d<\/p>\n GSU in a May news release<\/a> said of the building, \u201cthe structure has been vacant for more than two decades and would require millions in renovations and modernizations to be suitable for use.\u201d<\/p>\n The Fraternity and Sorority Life Plaza will include a new paved walkway, grassy lawn and bench seating areas. It aims to provide a larger, dedicated area for recreation and community-building for Georgia State\u2019s Greek life community.<\/p>\n The project is part of Georgia State\u2019s $107 million Building Pathways for Success Initiative<\/a>, which seeks to create a central campus hub linking various parts of the downtown campus.<\/p>\n