Poncey-Highland
Encyclopedia
Poncey-Highland is a neighborhood on the east side of Atlanta, Georgia
, located south of Virginia-Highland
. It so named because it is near the intersection of east/west Ponce de Leon Avenue and north/southwest North Highland Avenue. This Atlanta neighborhood was established between 1905 and 1930, and is bordered by Druid Hills
and Candler Park
across Moreland Ave. to the east, the Old Fourth Ward
across the BeltLine
to the west, Inman Park
across the eastern branch of Freedom Parkway to the south, and Virginia Highland to the north across Ponce de Leon Avenue. The Little Five Points
area sits on the border of Poncey-Highland, Inman Park, and Candler Park.
Poncey-Highland is home of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library
, established in 1982. The Carter Center occupies an area of land that was originally the neighborhood of Copenhill
, and which was razed to build an interchange between eight-lane highways: Interstate 485
(now Stone Mountain Freeway
) east and west, and Georgia 400 and Interstate 675
north and south. The development was successfully stopped by the surrounding neighborhoods, leaving Freedom Parkway in the area where GDOT had already demolished over 500 homes.
Poncey-Highland has numerous historic buildings, including:
The BeltLine
, a multi-use corridor of walking and biking paths and eventually a light rail line, is being built on the old Southern Railway tracks that form the western boundary of Poncey-Highland. Around the intersection of North Avenue and North Highland are:
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...
, located south of Virginia-Highland
Virginia-Highland
Virginia-Highland is a neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia, founded in the early 20th century as a streetcar suburb. It is named after the intersection of Virginia Avenue and North Highland Avenue, the heart of a busy commercial district at the center of the neighborhood. The neighborhood is famous...
. It so named because it is near the intersection of east/west Ponce de Leon Avenue and north/southwest North Highland Avenue. This Atlanta neighborhood was established between 1905 and 1930, and is bordered by Druid Hills
Druid Hills, Georgia
Druid Hills is a community which includes both a census-designated place in unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States, as well as a neighborhood of the city of Atlanta. The CDP's population was 14,568 at the 2010 census...
and Candler Park
Candler Park
Candler Park is a 55-acre city park located at 585 Candler Park Drive NE, in Atlanta, Georgia. It is named after Coca-Cola magnate Asa Griggs Candler, who donated this land to the city in 1922...
across Moreland Ave. to the east, the Old Fourth Ward
Old Fourth Ward
The Old Fourth Ward, often abbreviated The Fourth Ward or O4W, is a neighborhood stretching east from Downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The Old Fourth Ward is one of the city's most rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods, but is also one of the city's most eclectic, containing a burgeoning nightlife district...
across the BeltLine
Beltline
The Beltline is a region of central Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The area is located immediately to the south of Calgary's downtown , and is sometimes considered part of downtown...
to the west, Inman Park
Inman Park
Inman Park was planned in the late 1880s by Joel Hurt, a civil engineer and real-estate developer who intended to create a rural oasis connected to the city by the first of Atlanta's electric streetcar lines. The East Atlanta Land Company acquired and developed more than 130 acres east of the city...
across the eastern branch of Freedom Parkway to the south, and Virginia Highland to the north across Ponce de Leon Avenue. The Little Five Points
Little Five Points
Little Five Points is a district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 2½ miles east of downtown. It was established in the early 1900s as the commercial district for the adjacent Inman Park and Candler Park neighborhoods to the west and east...
area sits on the border of Poncey-Highland, Inman Park, and Candler Park.
Poncey-Highland is home of the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library
Jimmy Carter Library and Museum
The Jimmy Carter Library and Museum in Atlanta, Georgia houses U.S. President Jimmy Carter's papers and other material relating to the Carter administration and the Carter family's life...
, established in 1982. The Carter Center occupies an area of land that was originally the neighborhood of Copenhill
Copenhill
Copenhill, Copenhill Park, or Copen Hill was a neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia which was located largely where the Carter Center now sits, and which now forms part of the Poncey-Highland neighborhood. It lay:...
, and which was razed to build an interchange between eight-lane highways: Interstate 485
Interstate 485 (Georgia)
Interstate 485 was a proposed U.S. Interstate Highway in Atlanta, Georgia, heading eastwards and then northwards from downtown. The 5.9 mile-long route would have begun at the Downtown Connector and used the proposed State Route 410 east to the junction with the also-proposed State Route 400...
(now Stone Mountain Freeway
Stone Mountain Freeway
The Stone Mountain Freeway is a limited-access highway that connects Interstate 285 on the east side of Atlanta, Georgia, with the suburbs of Stone Mountain and Snellville before transitioning into an arterial road that continues to Athens. The freeway is signed as U.S...
) east and west, and Georgia 400 and Interstate 675
Interstate 675 (Georgia)
Interstate 675 was built in southeast metro Atlanta during the mid-1980s to alleviate Interstate 75 to the west, for traffic bound to Interstate 285 east. It is 11.04 miles in length, running from I-75 in the south from the city of Stockbridge to I-285 at its north end...
north and south. The development was successfully stopped by the surrounding neighborhoods, leaving Freedom Parkway in the area where GDOT had already demolished over 500 homes.
Poncey-Highland has numerous historic buildings, including:
- Ford Motor CompanyFord Motor CompanyFord Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
factory (circa 1916) - Western Electric Company building at 820 Ralph McGill
- Briarcliff PlazaBriarcliff PlazaBriarcliff Plaza, also known as Ponce de Leon Plaza, is a strip mall-type shopping center designed by architect George Harwell Bond and built in 1939 at the southwest corner of Ponce de Leon Avenue and Highland Avenue in the Poncey-Highland neighborhood of Atlanta. It was Atlanta's first shopping...
, containing the Majestic Diner (c. 1929) and the Plaza TheatrePlaza Theatre (Atlanta)The Plaza Theatre is an Atlanta landmark and the city’s oldest continuously operating movie theatre. It is home to several weekly and monthly events, including The Rocky Horror Picture Show and both the Silver Scream Spookshow and Splatter Cinema, mixed-media events featuring live performances and...
(1939), an art-deco cinema hosting numerous film events and the focal point of independent cinema in Atlanta - Clermont Hotel, currently empty except for the basement Clermont LoungeClermont LoungeThe Clermont Lounge is Atlanta's first and longest continually operating strip club, opened in 1965. Located in the basement of the Clermont Motor Hotel at 789 Ponce De Leon Avenue, in the Poncey-Highland neighborhood...
, "Atlanta's oldest strip club", according to its website.
The BeltLine
Beltline
The Beltline is a region of central Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The area is located immediately to the south of Calgary's downtown , and is sometimes considered part of downtown...
, a multi-use corridor of walking and biking paths and eventually a light rail line, is being built on the old Southern Railway tracks that form the western boundary of Poncey-Highland. Around the intersection of North Avenue and North Highland are:
- Manuel's Tavern, a local political hangout and one of Atlanta's oldest taverns
- Videodrome, an independent DVD and video rental retail
- The Highland Inn, one of Atlanta's only independent hotels
- Highland Ballroom, a bar and event space located in the Highland Inn's basement area