Photograph courtesy of the Old Fourth Ward Business Association
Perhaps no neighborhood exemplifies Atlanta’s motto Resurgens better than the Old Fourth Ward. Best known (until recently, at least) as the birthplace of Martin Luther King Jr., it suffered through not only a devastating fire in 1917 but also decades of economic decline, only to emerge as one of the city’s most sought-after addresses thanks to the redevelopment trifecta of Ponce City Market, the Atlanta BeltLine, and Historic Fourth Ward Park. Last year’s inaugural Fire in the Fourth festival—commemorating the Great Fire and the neighborhood’s later revitalization—attracted more than 5,000 attendees. This year (May 21) organizers are hoping to go twice as big. New for 2016: a guided bike tour tracing the fire’s path, hot sauce tastings from area restaurants, and a two-story phoenix puppet created by artist Julia Hill and presented by Out of Hand Theater. fireinthe4th.com
This article originally appeared in our May 2016 issue.
