A BRIEF HISTORY OF LA FRANCE WALK

A BRIEF HISTORY OF LA FRANCE WALK

CONTENTS 2 ABOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD EDGEWOOD 4 ABOUT THE PROPERTY LA FRANCE STREET 6 ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT LA FRANCE WALK

2 HISTORY ABOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD EDGEWOOD 1870-1910 The community of Edgewood began during Atlanta s booming period of development following the Civil War. Along with neighborhoods such as Inman Park and Grant Park, Edgewood was part of the early suburbanization of Atlanta as residents looked for an escape from the congested city. 1871 The first trolley tracks were laid by the Atlanta Street Railroad Company in 1871. The horse-drawn trolleys catalyzed expansion from the city center within a 3-mile radius. Proximity to streetcar lines was utilized by real estate investors to attract buyers to their auctions. The availability of early public transportation allowed for Edgewood to evolve as an ideal suburban residence for the middle class.

1899-1909 Edgewood was its own city before being incorporated into the city of Atlanta in 1909. In addition to the area south of the railroad tracks identified as modern-day Edewood, the community orginially stretched north of the railroad tracks to McLendon avenue and included Candler Park. Charles Whitefoord, an active citizen in Atlanta, served as the Mayor of Edgewood for the entire time. 1930 Early Edgewood developers aimed to provide the middle-class citizens of Atlanta with a modest version of the residential parks of the wealthy. Unlike other neighborhoods at the time, small builders who were part of the community itself incrementally developed blocks of a few houses at a time. By 1930, much of Edgewood was built up by the middle-class in a collection of Craftsman-style bungalows, providing an affordable and walkable escape from the city center. TODAY Modern-day Edgewood has preserved its historical roots with walkability and public transportation. With the overhaul of the Edgewood/Candler Park MARTA station underway, the neighborhood is home to the city s first transit-oriented development in over a decade. Edgewood also benefits from close proximity to the Atlanta Beltline, putting numerous restaurants and retail destinations like Ponce City Market within the reach of the community without having to worry about traffic, parking, or having that extra glass of wine. Citizens of Edgewood pride themselves on the tight-knit community that has been fostered within the neighborhood and the active role taken by community members in its preservation and progress.

4 HISTORY ABOUT THE PROPERTY LA FRANCE ST. 1821 The first individual owner of Land Lot 209 was Owen Andrews, who volunteered for service during the Revolutionary War. Andrews, a native of Fairfield District, South Carolina, was born in 1753 and later moved to Gwinnett County, GA. Andrews was granted the land in the 1821 Georgia Land Lottery, but he never lived on the property. 1883 A portion of Land Lot #209 containing La France Walk was ultimately transferred to Anna S. Lenfesty, who had the property subdivided by the George W. Adair Realty Company in 1882. An advertisement posted by the Adair Company in 1883 details that the current house standing on LaFrance existed at that time: No. 8 is 155 ft. on Decatur road running South 700 ft. and has on it a 7 room conveniently arranged cottage with wide verandas, besides kitchen and dining room, bath-rooms, closets, pantrys, etc., a large Barn, orchard and garden. This place is a Daisy and nice enough for Oscar Wilde to write poetry in. It is just such a place as hundreds of people have enquired about. It is likely that the mention of Oscar Wilde was not random. Wilde visited Atlanta in July of 1882 and caused quite a splash within society. 1865 The property changed hands a number of times between 1821 and 1865 when it was sold to Capel McClendon. Some notable owners were the Georgia Railroad and Banking Company and Joseph Pitts, a founding elder of the Presbyterian Church of Atlanta and commissioner of Dekalb County. Capel McClendon was among the grand jurors who would establish the parameters by which the first public schools would be established.

1896 The property was ultimately deeded to Angel L. Cuesta in 1896. Born 30 miles outside Madrid, Spain in the village of Panes, he emigrated to Cuba around the age of 15 where he learned the cigar trade. Like many other cigar workers in that country, he left to find better opportunities in the United States a few years later. Among the places he plied this trade were Key West, New York, Chicago and ultimately Atlanta. Having cached some saving by 1883, he opened a cigar manufacturing company in Atlanta. Cuesta kept La France as his summer home, while he operated his factory in Tampa, which shortly thereafter became Cuesta Ray Cigars, one of the biggest cigar companies in the U.S. at the time. His Tampa home now serves as the city s mayoral residence. 1970-2000s The property went into a period of decline in the 1970s and 1980s, similar to the surrounding neighborhood, as white flight took a significant toll on Edgewood and many other intown communities. A group of entrepreneurial brothers from Afghanistan arrived in the neighborhood in the late 1980s and bought up several houses on La France and Marion Place. While their construction techniques may have not been the best, their eye for a walkable neighborhood with great potential cannot be overstated. The house at 1359 La France was used as a boarding house for many years. Folks growing up in this part of town most likely attended a party(s) here at some point. 2002 Hafiz was the brother that owned 1359 La France, although he lived with his family in California. Finally, in 2002, Hafiz grew tired of maintaining the property, and Eric Kronberg convinced him to sell. 1911 SANBORN MAP OF THE PROPERTY A deal was struck over a handshake on the front porch on a hot summer afternoon. A paper contract followed soon thereafter, but it was short, simple, and documented the handshake agreement from the week before.

N LA FRANCE STREET 6 HISTORY ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT LA FRANCE WALK 2002 After sealing the deal with a handshake, local architect Eric Kronberg arranged to buy the property in 2002. After years of working to improve Atlanta s connectivity and built environment, he decided to put his theories into action and transform the empty lot behind the existing house into a residential community whose residents would not have to rely on their cars to get everywhere they want to go. 2004 The property was rezoned in 2004, and ready to break ground in 2007. However, the decision was made to wait out the Great Recession before starting construction. This delay gave Kronberg and his firm time to continue to think about the houses being built. It also provided the opportunity to test the designs on a project in Decatur and evaluate and where improvements could be made. #196A #196B #200B#200A #204 #208 #212 #216 #220 #1359 LA FRANCE ST #190A #190B LA FRANCE WALK #193A #193B #197A #197B #201A #201B #207B#207A #211 #215 #219 #225 #227

TODAY The first phase of the La France Walk community has been completed and families are moving into their new homes. Over a decade after the development s conception, the core principle of walkability is still central to this development. From a marketing perspective, the houses have all the typical conveniences you would expect in an intown new construction offering, but time has been spent to push possibilities further. The proximity to MARTA gives families the choice to own only a single car. With that possibility, the question arises as to what the most beneficial use for the attached garage will be. Storage is always an amenity in town, but this development offers the possibility of having the garage converted into either a live-work studio or guest suite. Many of the project design elements are patterned after traditional neighborhood design, promoted by the Congress for the New Urbanism. Other aspects include carefully considered street design, sidewalk connectivity, storm water capture and infiltration strategies, and energy efficient house designs.