Visiting The Underground Atlanta
Your boss just informed you that he needs you to go on a three day business trip to Atlanta
, Georgia. He also informed you that there would be activities the first and the third day for work, but that you will need to find something to entertain yourself for the second day.
Excitement runs through your veins and ideas of what you can do begin to pop into your head. There are so many things to do in Atlanta.
After further planning, you decide that you want to do something unique and fun. You have already been to the historical sites and the amusement parks too many times.
Now it is time to do something different. The first thing you may want to do is explore the thriving, vibrant life of underground Atlanta.
Many people may not know this, but underneath Atlanta is a wide expanse of shopping and entertainment centers. This underground world is located beneath the Five Points neighborhood of the downtown area.
This underground area was first opened to the public in 1969. Each level of the underground has two main halls.
These halls are respectively called the Upper and Lower Alabama and Pryor Streets. These buildings were built during the post-Civil War Reconstruction Era between 1866 and 1871.
During this time, the city's population went from 11,000 to 22,000 residents. This was a booming time of commerce and business for Atlanta.
In 1869, the Georgia Railroad freight depot was reconstructed as well as the previous one had been destroyed by Sherman's troops five years earlier. Today, this depot marks the entrance to Atlanta's underground and is well-known as the oldest building in this city.
In the beginning, the depot was three stories tall. However, the top two levels were damaged by fire.
By 1910, several bridges had been constructed across the railroad tracks at Union Street. A public plaza or linear mall was built between these bridges.
More malls were planned, but they were never built. However, the store keepers from the underground simply moved their main floor up to the second level to be a part of the ground level mall.
Soon the first floors were only used for storage and service reasons. During the Prohibition many people opened illegal speakeasys and juke joints on these lower floors because they were hidden from the ground level traffic and the underground had been forgotten about.
When the end of the 1920s came, the ground level had been raised one and a half stories. The ground level had been expanded to cover a five block area as well.
Throughout the next 40 years, this street level continued to grow to cover 12 acres. The underground continued to be forgotten.
By the late 1960s, two Georgia Tech graduates rediscovered the underground and decided to develop it. Many of the architectural decorations were still intact from the previous century.
On May 2, 1967, they official became a company and began private development. They restored and reopened many of the stores.
Soon after completion, a constitutional amendment was passed in Georgia and named the area a historical site. On April 8, 1969 this underground Atlanta was officially reopened.
It was one of the few places men could go to obtain mixed alcoholic drinks legally, as long as they wore coats and ties to the places that served these drinks. As a result, the underground became the center for vibrant nightlife very quickly.
By 1972, only three years later, the underground attracted 3.5 million visitors. These visitors brought over $17 million in sales with them.
This was the most successful year for the underground. Some of the most popular shops included Scarlet O'Hara, The Blarney Stone, The Bank Note, and Mulenbrink's Saloon.
Mulenbrink's Saloon was popular for the Atlanta Piano Red which was played by Dr. Feelgood and his Interns from 1969 to 1979. This was a very popular place.
When the alcohol restrictions subsided in the 1970s, competition was created as other bars opened in other parts of the city. The dress code was no longer enforced, so the area became less classy.
In addition, fights became common and broke out easily. Parking was also eliminated as the MARTA East Line was constructed.
The crime rate rose tremendously and the underground was considered to be very dangerous. As a result the underground was closed once again.
However, on June 15, 1989 the underground was reopened after extensive reconstruction. It opened as a modern shopping mall rather than an entertainment center that is greatly enjoyed by tourists.
by: Terry Daniels
Reasons To Wear Atlanta Falcons Jerseys The Best Care In Ent Atlanta Office Space In Atlanta Atlanta's Jock Heaven When You Are In Atlanta - The Places You Must Visit Some of Individuals That Have Played for the Atlanta Thrashers Are Deemed Greats Visiting Atlanta Nanny in Atlanta - Find a Loving Care Helper! Atlanta Hawks Tickets - Hawks Defeat 76ers 100-86