Chamblee54

I got an email the other night urging me to sign a petition. The intent of the petition was to urge Georgia Tech not to tear down the Crum and Forster building at 771 Spring Street.
I worked for a few years in an adjacent building. During this time, this part of Midtown did a 180 degree turnaround. A big part of this change was the construction of the Tech Square Complex. This was a psychological breakthrough for Tech, to expand the campus on the east side of the Freeway. Some of the petition signers say that Tech intends to expand all the way up to North Avenue.
The current plan is to destroy the building, and replace it with a grassy field. I cannot see Tech letting such costly real estate lie unused. Maybe we are going to have a Presidential Motorcade along Spring Street, and need a grassy knoll. .
Now, the building in question would need serious renovation. It may not be economically feasible to save it. While the exterior is glorious, my visits to the interior recall a dilapidated mess. And this is Atlanta, where Historic Preservation is a dirty word. The patron saint of this town is William Tecumseh Sherman.
A few years ago, there was an apartment building on tenth street that many wanted to save. It was a residence of Margaret Mitchell, who called it “The Dump”.There was an effort to tear it down, and people who wanted it saved. Then, the building caught on fire. There was a police precinct in the building next door. The building burned anyway, and then there was a second fire. Finally, a Museum was built on the site, contrary to the wishes of Margaret Mitchell.
Don’t be surprised if there is a fire at 771 Spring Street.
There is a petition to save the building. I have reviewed the list, and there are lots of duplicates, and thus difficult to tell exactly how many individuals are on it. Famed Tech Alumnus George P. Burdell is number 1879.
It would be a shame to let this building, and block, go. There are brick sidewalks on fourth street, with crab apple trees near Spring Street. In the fall, I would go out back and pick my morning snack. Atlanta is such a homogenized region, with almost no character. If 771 Spring is destroyed, there will be that much less.