History

When word got out that downtown Atlanta’s Hyatt Regency was working to reopen the Polaris—the blue-dome saucer that was immediately a skyline hallmark when it opened in 1967—the city buzzed with excitement. Details on the redesign have been kept under wraps since, and so I was excited when I got to meet the designers at The Johnson Studio and see the space last week.

Throughout its storied 58-year history, three things have remained constant at Atlanta’s politico watering hole Manuel’s Tavern. The city’s scribblers can always score a scoop if you wait around long enough. The tavern’s telepathic bartenders know you want another drink before you do. And at the end of the evening, your clothes are a walking billboard for Lucky Strikes.

If you’ve found yourself in the Old Fourth Ward—maybe strolling up Irwin Street toward Bell Street Burritos or heading down the Atlanta BeltLine to Studioplex—you’ve undoubtedly spotted that giant concrete tower. And you’ve wondered, Just what is that? Or, more intriguingly, Does anyone live in there?

Well, one thing you conclude watching the PR extravaganza that is "Atlanta: A Visual Postcard," is that everyone had really long attention spans back in the day. Who'd sit through fifteen minutes of chamber of commerce fluff today? Yeah, I thought so.

Last week, during the half-century anniversary of the historic March on Washington—best known as the day Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his masterpiece “Dream” speech—my social media feed was crowded with photos of the three surviving King children at the Lincoln Memorial.

When it comes to milestones, it’s hard to beat Florida’s 500th anniversary, commemorating the arrival of Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon on the state’s east coast near present-day St. Augustine.

Today marks a monumental anniversary: fifty years since the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and Atlanta native son Martin Luther King Jr.'s iconic "dream" speech. Amid all the discussion of how far we've come and how far we need to go, it's worth reflecting on how King's legacy is reflected in his hometown.

At one o’clock today, Atlanta city councilman Michael Julian Bond will honor Dante’s Down the Hatch owner Dante Stephensen at city hall with a City of Atlanta proclamation in honor of the restaurateur and jazz promoter’s “contributions to Atlanta’s cultural and business life.” Bond, a regular at the now-shuttered Buckhead nightspot, followed in the footsteps of his civil rights icon father Julian Bond, who was a regular at the original Dante’s Underground Atlanta location in the 1970s. “Dante’s was an Atlanta tradition,” explains Bond. “Locals and tourists alike flocked this unique establishment to experience a taste of the city in a communal fashion. This proclamation is our small gesture to Mr. Stephensen for four decades of service to Atlanta.”

As someone who writes history books and drinks bourbon with enthusiasm, I’ve naturally added Comedy Central’s Drunk History to my must-watch list. While DH might be sophomoric it certainly delivers laughs, and, occasionally, a little bit of learning.

The beleaguered but beloved red brick mansion on Peachtree Road at Lindbergh Drive has finally found a savior. This summer, NewTown Partners, an Atlanta-based economic development consulting firm specializing in historic preservation, will move the home to 78 Peachtree Circle, an empty lot in Ansley Park, where it will become the private home of company founders Christopher Jones and Roger Smith.