Clairemont - Great Lakes (Decatur)
Encyclopedia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
suburb of Decatur
Decatur, Georgia
Decatur is a city in, and county seat of, DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. With a population of 19,335 in the 2010 census, the city is sometimes assumed to be larger since multiple zip codes in unincorporated DeKalb County bear the Decatur name...
. It primarily consists of residences and churches. However, there are businesses on West Ponce de Leon Avenue, in the southernmost section of the neighborhood. Its rough boundaries are Coventry Road, Ponce de Leon Avenue and Commerce Drive on the south; Church Street on the east; Scott Boulevard on the north; and Willow on the northeast. The section of Superior Avenue north of Scott Boulevard is also considered part of this neighborhood. Ridgeland Park, located northeast of the Clairemont - Great Lakes neighborhood, is not presently considered part of the neighborhood. It was developed later (1946–1950) and is in unincorporated DeKalb County. However, in 2008 the city of Decatur began evaluating annexation of this neighborhood, which is contiguous to the rest of the development.
The Clairemont Historic District primarily falls within the Clairemont - Great Lakes neighborhood. Enacted in 2001, the local historic district runs the length of Clairemont Avenue
Georgia State Route 155
State Route 155 begins at U.S. 19/U.S. 41/S.R. 3, just south of Griffin, Georgia, and ends at Buford Highway in DeKalb County as Clairmont Road.-Spalding County:-Henry County:-DeKalb County:...
from to Maediris Drive in the north to Commerce Drive in the south. The small portion from Scott Blvd. to Maediris lies in Decatur's Clairemont - Gateway neighborhood association, and not the Clairemont - Great Lakes neighborhood.
History
Clairement Avenue originally followed part of a Native American trail leading to a shallow crossing at the Chattahoochee. It was previously known as Shallowford Trail and Webster Street. However, the Clairemont - Great Lakes neighborhood was not laid out until the early 20th Century. Beginning in 1913 and continuing through to the 1930s, it was developed in sections. As can be perceived from the name, the Clairemont - Great Lakes neighborhood actually consists of four smaller neighborhoods. These include the Great Lakes neighborhood, which has streets named after famous lakes; Clairemont Avenue, which bisects the center of the neighborhood in a north-south direction; Clairemont Estates; Emory Acres; and Ponce de Leon Terrace. Robert H. Paris developed Superior St., Michigan St., Seneca St., Huron St., Champlain St., Erie Ave., Geneva St., Lucerne St. and Parkside Circle from 1913 through the 1920s.Architecture
Clairemont - Great Lakes contains contains numerous architectural styles. The most common are CraftsmanAmerican Craftsman
The American Craftsman Style, or the American Arts and Crafts Movement, is an American domestic architectural, interior design, landscape design, applied arts, and decorative arts style and lifestyle philosophy that began in the last years of the 19th century. As a comprehensive design and art...
Bungalows, English Vernacular Revival and Georgia Vernacular Bungalows. Other styles include American Foursquare
American Foursquare
The American Foursquare or American Four Square is an American house style popular from the mid-1890s to the late 1930s. A reaction to the ornate and mass produced elements of the Victorian and other Revival styles popular throughout the last half of the 19th century, the American Foursquare was...
, Dutch Colonial
Dutch Colonial
Dutch Colonial is a style of domestic architecture, primarily characterized by gambrel roofs having curved eaves along the length of the house...
and Moderne
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
. There are also late 20th century townhomes and 21st century Brownstone
Brownstone
Brownstone is a brown Triassic or Jurassic sandstone which was once a popular building material. The term is also used in the United States to refer to a terraced house clad in this material.-Types:-Apostle Island brownstone:...
townhomes on Scott Blvd.
Churches
Churches within the neighborhood include:- First Baptist Church, Decatur, 308 Clairemont Avenue.
- First Church of Christ, Scientist, Decatur, 446 Clairemont Avenue.
- Lutheran Church of the Messiah, 465 Clairemont Avenue.
Parks
- (Gladys) Waddell Park, Huron St. & Champlain Rd. Originally called "Closeburn Park", this neighborhood park features a nature trail. It was donated to the city of Decatur by the neighborhood in 1994, and renamed after a benefactor.
- Peavine Creek Watershed, Wilton Drive. Although not a park, Wilton Drive lies in a unique ecological area that drains into Peavine Creek. It is monitored by the Peavine Watershed Alliance, and is on the City of Decatur's Walking Tour #4.
- Woodlands, 930 Scott Blvd. A 7.1 acres (28,732.7 m²) nature sanctuary donated to the Decatur Preservation Alliance (DPA) in 2002 by the Morse family.
Transportation
- Clairemont AvenueGeorgia State Route 155State Route 155 begins at U.S. 19/U.S. 41/S.R. 3, just south of Griffin, Georgia, and ends at Buford Highway in DeKalb County as Clairmont Road.-Spalding County:-Henry County:-DeKalb County:...
, bisects the neighborhood and is the primary entry point to the neighborhood from Interstate 85Interstate 85Interstate 85 is a major interstate highway in the Southeastern United States. Its current southern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus interchanges with Interstate 95 in Petersburg, Virginia, near Richmond...
. This is known as "Clairmont Road" north of the city limits. - DecaturDecatur (MARTA station)Decatur is an underground Train station on the Blue Line of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority rail system in the heart of Decatur, Georgia. It Serves Downtown Decatur, South Decatur, and South Dekalb. This station was opened on June 30, 1979. In 2005, a major renovation of the...
MARTAMetropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit AuthorityThe Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority or MARTA is the principal rapid-transit system in the Atlanta metropolitan area and the ninth-largest in the United States. Formed in 1971 as strictly a bus system, MARTA operates a network of bus routes linked to a rapid transit system consisting...
rail station, is located south of the Clairemont - Great Lakes neighborhood at Decatur Square. - Ponce de Leon Avenue, is located south of the neighborhood, and is the primary entry point from Atlanta.
- Scott Boulevard, is located north of the neighborhood, and is the primary entry point from Interstate 285Interstate 285Interstate 285 is an Interstate Highway loop encircling Atlanta, Georgia, for . I-285 is also known as unsigned State Route 407 and is colloquially referred to as the Perimeter. Suburban sprawl has made it one of the most heavily traveled roadways in the United States, and portions of the highway...
.