Located just two miles east of downtown Atlanta, Inman Park is as rich in history as it is charming, with its restored Victorian mansions, wide tree-lined avenues and restful greenspace. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, Inman Park was Atlanta’s first planned community and one of the nation’s first garden suburbs. Today, Historic Inman Park, with over 300 homes, continues to serve as a national model for historic preservation while its residents enjoy a location that is central to downtown as well as to eclectic retail, restaurant and entertainment venues, the highways and MARTA.
A Neighborhood of Great Historic Significance
The land that is now Inman Park was once the site of many Civil War skirmishes during the Battle of Atlanta. In 1889, entrepreneur Joel Hurt and cotton broker Samuel Inman formed a partnership to lay out Atlanta’s first suburb and establish a trolley line to transport residents to and from work in downtown Atlanta. The new Inman Park community was anchored by ten acres set aside for Springvale Park and Crystal Lake. The planned community concept caught on quickly with many of Atlanta’s most prominent citizens, including Coca-Cola magnates Asa Candler , Ernest Woodruff as well as Joel Hurt. In the early days, Inman Park was known for “Painted Lady” Victorians, with such period details as turrets, wrap-around porches and ornate gingerbread millwork. There were also stately Colonial Revival and Queen Anne mansions. Over the years, the neighborhood came to be known for Craftsman bungalows and smaller cottages as well and for the more recent loft conversions and townhome developments.
An Exceptionally High Quality of Urban Life
In addition to its historic character, Inman Park has a funky, fun cultural life as well. The neighborhood is contiguous to Little Five Points with its variety of restaurants and bars, retro boutiques and such prized cultural venues as The Variety Playhouse for music and 7 Stages Theatre and Horizon Theatre. Each year in April, the neighborhood holds the Inman Park Spring Festival and Tour of Homes, attracting well over a thousand visitors. The full-weekend event features an artist market, a flea market section, a parade featuring Kelly’s Seed and Feed Marching Abominable Band and the wildest floats you’ll ever see, dancing exhibitions, a festival food court and so much more high-spirited fun. The terminus for the original trolley line was the Trolley Barn, which still stands today at the corner of Edgewood and Elizabeth and serves as a popular venue for weddings, auctions and other special events. Inman Park also now has a popular neighborhood pool. Nearby attractions include the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Freedom Park, with its miles and miles of the biking/running/skating/walking paths. Phase Two of Freedom Park, which is currently in development, will feature a north-south Greenway Trail running from the Inman Park MARTA Station (at DeKalb Avenue) to Ponce de Leon and will have feeder trails that connect to streets in Virginia-Highland, Candler Park and Druid Hills.
A Renowned Neighborhood Association
Inman Park enjoys the benefits of one of the most active neighborhood associations in the city: the Inman Park Neighborhood Association (IPNA). Established in the early 1970s following years of neighborhood decline, IPNA was originally called Inman Park Restoration. The membership was galvanized by a desire to get the zoning changed from commercial and industrial back to low density residential, which was a first step toward restoring the homes and the community to its former glory. The IPNA also successfully took on the Federal Department of Transportation to stop a planned highway that would have gone through the heart of the neighborhood destroying many of the historic homes in its path. Today, the IPNA continues to closely monitor development that could adversely impact the neighborhood. Among its committees is Tree Watch, Inman Park Security Patrol and the Public Safety committee, all of which enjoy the efforts of concerned neighbors willing to devote many hours to maintaining and enhancing a high quality of life in Inman Park.