Atlanta's Historic Sweet Auburn District Gets $75 Million Revitalization Investment

ATLANTA — A coalition of public and private investors announced Tuesday a $75 million commitment to revitalize the Sweet Auburn district, the historic neighborhood that was once the economic and cultural heart of Black Atlanta and the birthplace of the civil rights movement.

The investment will fund the restoration of more than 20 historic buildings, the creation of 300 affordable housing units, the attraction of new locally owned businesses, and the development of a new cultural center.

"Sweet Auburn is sacred ground," said Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens. "This is where Martin Luther King Jr. was born, where Ebenezer Baptist Church stands, where Black Atlanta built its economic power in the face of segregation."

The centerpiece of the revitalization plan is the restoration of the historic Odd Fellows Building, a six-story commercial building constructed in 1912.