By Atlanta Preservation Staff
Phoenix Flies 2023 celebrates 20 years that the Atlanta Preservation Center has brought together organizations and individuals from the community to demonstrate the value of Atlanta’s historic built environment. From museums to adaptive reuse projects, to neighborhood tours to public libraries, this year’s 90 new and returning partners are offering incredible free events from March 4 through 26.
This March, we look forward to celebrating Atlanta’s historic buildings, landscapes, and neighborhoods with you. Download this year’s program guide at https://issuu.com/preserveatl/docs/phoenix_flies_2023_program. Share your Phoenix Flies experiences with us on all social media platforms using #PreserveATL and @PreserveATL.Most Phoenix Flies events require pre-registration. Please refer to individual event listings in the program for specific event registration information. All events will be listed on preserveatl.eventbrite.com even if registration is optional. Email the Atlanta Preservation Center at phoenixfliesinfo@preserveatlanta.com with any questions.
Several scheduled events will focus on the neighborhoods in The Porch Press distribution area (Atlanta’s Neighborhood Planning Unit W).
Geology in the Cemetery – Friday, March 17 at 5:00pm, Oakland Cemetery, 248 Oakland Avenue. Founded in 1850, Historic Oakland Cemetery is one of Atlanta’s oldest public sites and cultural landmarks. Have you ever wondered what headstones are made out of? Or why some of them seem to stand up to the test of time better than others? In this program you will learn to identify the major types of stones that make up Oakland Cemetery and discover the mechanisms behind their deterioration. Tours are appropriate for children. Visit the Oakland Cemetery website at www.oaklandcemetery.com.
Grant Park Walking Tour: Trees, Trails, History, and Architecture – Sunday, March 19 at 10:00am, 470 Sydney Street. Grant Park is Atlanta’s oldest park and was donated to the City by Lemuel Pratt Grant in 1882. Visitors will enjoy learning about the park’s trees and some of its historic and architectural highlights, including the Lion Bridge and the Milledge and Erskine fountains. These were all recently restored with the leadership of the Grant Park Conservancy and its many partners. The Conservancy also coordinates with the Parks and Recreation Department to be the stewards for Grant Park’s tree canopy (including its many oaks, elms, maples and magnolias) with ongoing canopy and park restoration efforts. Trees Atlanta and the Atlanta Preservation Center are pleased to showcase the work of the Conservancy and Atlanta’s oldest public park. Tour Docent: Kathy Brennan, Trees Atlanta Docent and Grant Park neighbor.
Open House: An Afternoon with Robert Burns – Sunday, March 19 from 1:00pm to 5:00pm, Burns Club of Atlanta, 988 Alloway Place. The Burns Club of Atlanta, organized in 1896, is a private social club and literary/cultural society commemorating the 18th century national poet of Scotland, Robert Burns. In addition to holding monthly meetings, the club has held a Burns Supper celebration on the anniversary of Burns’ birthday every year since 1898. Club events are held in the Atlanta Burns Cottage, a 1911 replica of Robert Burns’ birthplace in Alloway, Ayrshire, Scotland. During the open house, members in highland attire will give simple, time-flexible, and audience-adjustable lectures and presentations featuring Burns’ songs and poems. Visit the Burns Club website at www.theburnsclubofatlanta.com.
Battle Began Here Walking Tour – Sunday, March 19 at 3:00pm, 480 Clifton Street. This tour begins at the railroad cut where General Sherman ordered the removal of the tracks between Decatur and Atlanta and travels through decades of history in the Kirkwood neighborhood. It also follows roughly the route of General McPherson as he raced to figure out what was happening to his men in the opening moments of the battle. Coincidentally you will also see one of the four sites of the first desegregation of High Schools in Georgia 100 years after the battle began there. Along the way you will hear about how a plantation was developed as one of Atlanta’s first electric street car destinations thriving to face different challenges in the 20th century. You’ll hear stories of the men and women who fought and lived here to make it one of Atlanta’s redevelopment success stories. Visit the BATL website at www.batlevent.org.
