February 2017
Features
-
19 things you didn’t know about Atlanta’s past
We dug our heads into history books and consulted historians and veteran Atlantans to excavate a lesser-known, hazier narrative of the city. If you’re a longtime (or native!) Atlantan, perhaps these anecdotes will spark nostalgia. If you’re a more recent arrival, this may all be news to you.
Back in the day: Atlanta residents on how their neighborhoods have changed
Longtime residents of West End, Castleberry Hill, Vinings, and Inman Park talk about how the neighborhoods have evolved.
Atlanta Alternative: 3 plans for the city that never took shape
What Atlanta could have been?
Will the prisoners who labored to build Atlanta ever be acknowledged?
At its turn-of-the-century peak, Chattahoochee Brick produced up to 300,000 bricks daily, playing a crucial role in the postwar rebuilding of Atlanta. Many Southern farms, mines, and factories thrived on forced convict labor, and Chattahoochee Brick was no exception.
Razed in Atlanta: 6 great buildings we lost
More than 40 years ago, aghast citizens successfully petitioned to save the Fox Theatre, but here lie six great buildings that weren’t so lucky.
Where to find remnants of old Atlanta
We haven’t completely paved over everything. Here’s where to find pieces of Atlanta’s history.
The Second Burning of Atlanta
The horses knew exactly what to do. When the alarm sounded, they trotted into their metal chutes, waiting side-by-side until their harnesses dropped from above. As the stable door at Engine Company 7 opened, another alarm blared, and the team galloped out.
Gene Patterson’s papers reveal the stories behind events that forever changed the South
The papers, which Patterson housed at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg for many years, spill over in hundreds of confidential memos, personal letters, comedic repartee with fellow journalists, gossip, and accumulated materials of his estimable life and career.
-
The Connector
Handicapping the odds in the 2017 Atlanta mayoral race
This year’s race for Atlanta mayor is set to be among the most crowded in memory. Here are the odds these eight leading contenders will make it to a runoff.
Snapshot: World Salsa Championships
Dubbed the Olympics of Salsa, the entire competition airs on ESPN Deportes February 12.
Love at the DeKalb County Courthouse
Seven newlywed couples at the DeKalb County Courthouse tell us how they met and why they decided to get married on one December afternoon.
DiaScan is Atlanta’s biotech firm to watch—and it was started by two local teens
The two friends started out with a simple question: Is there a better way to diagnose cancer using artificial intelligence and predictive analytics?
Inspired by Gullah culture, this Roswell firm builds houses that are ecofriendly and chic
Simone du Boise and Denise Donahue developed a model called the EcoCraft Hybrid Home, which aims for “Net Zero Energy”—a building that consumes no more energy than it produces. In a Cadmus prototype, solar panels heat 80 percent of the household’s hot water and fuel at least 50 percent of required electricity (new technology may soon capture even more energy).
The Agenda
The 10 most memorable items from The Walking Dead
Ahead of the midseason seven premiere, here’s a look at some of the most iconic accessories the show has featured.
A new play revisits an act of terror that proved Atlanta’s mettle as “the city too busy to hate”
“It’s a story of an unsung human rights leader who applied the tenets of his faith to encourage a reticent congregation to stand up against segregation,” says Jimmy Maize, writer and director of a new play based on the events, The Temple Bombing, which makes its debut at the Alliance Theatre on February 22.
New High Museum exhibition explores rural America’s place in modern art
“When we think of modernism, we associate it with urban spaces,” says Stephanie Heydt, the High’s American art curator. This exhibition showcases modernist works set outside of city limits.
The Bite
Jim Stacy, 4.0: The Pallookaville founder contemplates his next move
In his 50 years on earth, Stacy has sung in a punk rock band called BigTop (he hit the stage dressed as a clown), run both the Star Bar in Little Five Points and the Starlight Drive-In Theatre on Moreland Avenue, and performed with a short-lived burlesque group called the Dong Squad. “Every seven years or so, I try something new,” he says.
The Christiane Chronicles: 10 ways to make a burger absolutely terrible
Enough with the Brioche rolls, back off on the barbecue sauce, and don’t even think about putting a maki roll on top of my burger.
How to make a basic but oh-so-good marinara
There’s nothing like a just-picked tomato in the middle of summer—except when you’re making marinara.
The Goods
My Style: Mara Davis
Mara Davis rose to local celebrity status as an on-air DJ at 92.9 FM in the 1990s and aughts. Now Atlantans can turn the dial to 90.1 WABE every Friday for her live music weekend preview, “Mara’s Music Mix,” or find her cohosting Atlanta Eats on Peachtree TV and News Radio 106.7. She shares her style picks with us.
Room Envy: This bright turquoise bedroom is a teen dream
Depending on how it’s used, green can be either soothing or energizing, according to Stephanie Andrews, founder of Balance Design Atlanta.
Atlanta artist Leah Smithson creates whimsical jewelry based on her surrealist paintings
“Jewelry is the perfect medium for expressing yourself,” she says. “Each piece is unique to the person who wears it; I give each one its own bend and character.”
Five reasons to love East Atlanta Village
The “village” part of this neighborhood’s moniker (aka EAV) isn’t just a cutesy realtor-invented label. This diverse, walkable pocket of the city exudes a small-town feel while boasting distinctly urban offerings, from hipster-filled tattoo parlors and late-night bars to flower shops.
Hot Shop: Coco and Mischa
In June Melissa Gallagher left a 17-year career in restaurants—including a stint as the GM at Holeman and Finch—to open a boutique, Coco and Mischa.
My month-long quest for lustrous hair
Ever since puberty, the texture of my hair has resembled that of curly straw. And as I’ve gotten older—and, let’s face it, grayer—it’s only gotten drier, particularly in the arid winter months. I happily volunteered to embark on a month-long quest for lustrous, supermoisturized locks.
How to lose your winter love handles
If you’ve become, ahem, cuddlier this winter, try these core workouts for getting ab-fab again.
Miscellaneous
Editor’s Note: Civics 101
Americans are not, in general, great at remembering history, but in Atlanta, which paves over its history with unnerving regularity, the condition is especially severe.
For locals, the eclectic Madison Drug Co. is an old-school gem
For the past quarter century, Ricky Harris has helped man the chicken fryer at Madison Drug Co., but his specialty is sneaking up on people—fellow employees, town dignitaries, and everyday customers alike—and scaring the bejesus out of them.
