FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

ATLANTA (May 12, 2008) - The Peachtree Highlands-Peachtree Park Historic District, which lies roughly between Piedmont Road, Peachtree Road, Georgia Highway 400, and the MARTA north-south rapid transit line in Atlanta, was listed in the National Register on April 25, 2008. The nomination for this district was sponsored and prepared by the Peachtree Park Civic Association Board.

The Peachtree Highlands-Peachtree Park neighborhood developed north of the center of Atlanta as an affordable suburb of modest homes for lower-middle-class white families. Its location was influenced by transportation routes, first the streetcar and then the automobile-oriented Peachtree Road and Piedmont Road. Development occurred in several phases based on a series of plats, the earliest dating from 1913. Peachtree Highlands is the oldest section (listed in the National Register in 1986), and Peachtree Park developed contiguously to the south. The entire combined neighborhood now identifies itself as Peachtree Park, which is the name historically and traditionally associated with the area. Houses dating from just after World War I are primarily in the northern (Peachtree Highlands) section. Newer areas were added in roughly 1936-1942, 1945-1950, and after 1950, although development did not always consistently follow original plats due to intervening events, such as the Great Depression and World War II.

The district is significant in the area of architecture for its collection of residential types and styles. Common house types include side-gabled cottages, English cottages, bungalows, American Small Houses, and ranch houses. Stylistic influences include Colonial Revival, Craftsman, and English Vernacular Revival. Brick, stone, and wood are all used as exterior materials. Most of the houses were historically modest dwellings and many have had recent additions. Recently demolished historic homes have been replaced by larger homes on some of the lots, but overall the district has retained integrity.

The district is also significant in the area of community planning and development for its contiguous series of platted subdivisions. The noted Atlanta firm of Haas and Dodd, already experienced in planning other successful residential developments, was involved in several phases of the Peachtree Park section. The district's curvilinear streets, hills and streams, informal landscaping, and generally deep wooded lots distinguish the entire neighborhood from surrounding commercial development. While the early picturesque suburbs of the Romantic landscape movement were more commonly associated with more affluent communities, this middle-class suburb was also able to adopt some of the characteristic elements.

The National Register is the federal government's official list of historic buildings, structures, sites, objects, and districts worthy of preservation. According to Richard Cloues, deputy state historic preservation officer, listing in the National Register recognizes a property's significance and ensures that the property will be taken into account in the planning of federally funded or licensed projects. In addition, owners of income producing National Register properties may be eligible for rehabilitation tax incentives.

For more information on the National Register and other preservation programs, contact the Historic Preservation Division of the Department of Natural Resources at 404-656-2840 or visit our Web site at www.gashpo.org.