The community of East Lake was built upon the land of a former plantation. In fact, the original antebellum home (known as Meadow Nook,) still stands near the East Lake Golf Club. Build in 1856, the home avoided Sherman's torch and survives as one of the oldest homes in Atlanta.
East Lake is home to two golf courses, both designed by Rees Jones, son of designer Robert Trent Jones, Sr. Opening in 1904, The East Lake Golf Club is the oldest in Atlanta and the only course in history to produce two British Amateur champions. It is also the home of PGA Tour Championship. Next door to the East Lake is the Charlie Yates Golf Course which is open to the public.
In addition to its reputation for golfing, East Lake has become a shining example of how concerned citizens and civic leaders can transform a decaying urban area into a thriving community. Established in 1995, the East Lake Foundation has created dramatic changes in the area including the creation of East Lake Commons, a mixed-use, mixed-income development built on the site of a former public housing development. Amenities include a village green, a wildlife habitat corridor surrounding a protected spring, a six-acre organic garden, and a small orchard. The project was the winner of the 2001 American Institute of Architects/Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary's Award for Mixed Use/Mixed Income projects and is being studied as a model for rebuilding neighborhoods in post-Katrina New Orleans. According to the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, “The East Lake renaissance is one of Atlanta’s great success stories.” East Lake is also home to the Drew Charter School and a state-of-the-art YMCA.