THIS is absolutely fascinating! Gold represents population loss between 2000 and 2010 while blue represents population gains over the same period. Click the illustration to see the NY Times interactive map. Zoom in on any particular neighborhood to see the census details.
More shots from the southern end of the Decatur Belt rail line. This is the view facing north on Airline St. at the Norfolk Southern railroad crossing. Photo taken November 1997.
Nearly 15 years later the railroad and metal company are gone and Atlanta's now ubiqiutous condos have crept into the shot. February 2012.
Facing west from the same spot on Airline Street.
November 1997 / February 2012.
And, still from the same spot, the view facing SW toward Cabbagetown.
Driving east down Decatur Street / DeKalb Avenue near Airline and Krog Streets, November 1997:
The same view in February 2012:
This was the southern end of the old Norfolk Southern Railroad Decatur Belt. In these first two photos the tracks dead end into an embankment on the right. For more than a century, they connected to what is now the CSX mainline at Cabbagetown. This connection was severed in the mid 1980s when the old Hulsey rail yard was replaced with a modern piggyback facility, requiring the realignment and regrading of the CSX mainline. I was (and still am) amazed the old railroad signals are still in place nearly three decades since the last train crossed here.
The view driving west: (I'm a safe driver. No, really.)
Top: November 1997 Bottom: February 2012
Here's a Google Maps view of the former railroad junction which was buried when the CSX tracks were realigned in the 1980s.
The bird's eye view from 1892. Part of the Fulton Bag and Cotton mill in Cabbagetown can be seen at bottom right.
The bird's eye view roughly 120 years later, courtesy of Bing maps:
I'll be posting more now & then photos from along the former Norfolk Southern Decatur Belt rail line in the coming weeks and thought it would be handy to have a map as a reference for readers. This stretch of former railroad is considered the prime segment in the ambitious Atlanta BeltLine project and major changes are already underway. It will be interesting to see what happens in the coming decades, which means I'll probably be returning and taking these now & then photos until I'm too old and senile to get around.
This map comes from the Georgia DOT via Fresh Loaf. Larger version HERE.
OK, the obvious question: "What's up with that mannequin?"
Inspired by the book The Red Couch, in which a red velvet sofa is taken across the USA and photographed
in various odd locations, I decided it would be a brilliant idea to
take our band's mannequin Sinead on a similar tour of Atlanta
landmarks. Somehow I convinced a few friends to help out and we set
sail on this beautiful sunny afternoon. Unfortunately, it was about 38
degrees and really windy, and after an hour of frozen numbness, we
gave it up. Traumatized by the experience, and feeling kinda silly
walking around town with a mannequin on my head, I never completed my
own twisted little coffee table book. Too bad, because now it seems
like it would've been pretty cool.
Anyway, back to Goody's... The building has been abandoned for years. Who would have thought that film would die such a quick death and that Kodak would be on its deathbed only a decade after digital cameras became commonplace? I expect more condos as soon as the economy improves.
My friend "The Mover", who assisted me on the ill-fated mannequin expedition, also documented this stretch of road in 1995 with a series called The Ponce de Leon Panorama Project. Here is his shot of Goody's.
To see The Mover's massive 30-shot panoramic montage of mid-1990s Ponce, just click the photo below. Be sure to check to peruse his photos on flickr. There are hundreds of great pictures from around Atlanta.
From my suburban vantage point in the early 1980s, Atlanta seemed like a magical bohemian paradise with a new wave scene that nearly rivaled the earth shaking happenings in nearby Athens. I was in my early teens, too young to drive and way too young to get into clubs, but thanks to the Atlanta Video Music Channel and college radio stations like WREK and WRAS Album88, the sights and sounds of local bands like The Restraints, The Brains and the Swimming Pool Q's were continually pouring in. It was an incredibly exciting time to be a kid in Atlanta.
I just heard about this new documentary, "New Wave in the New South" and this teaser looks great...
The Restraints were my fave local band thanks to this very amusing video that includes a nice shot of the early 80s Atlanta skyline and the Varsity.
And here's a short documentary about the Atlanta Video Music Channel.
