Glennwood Estates (Decatur)

Last updated June 08, 2024

Residential Streetscape on Glenn Circle, Decatur, GA GlnnwdEstDecGa.JPG — Residential Streetscape on Glenn Circle, Decatur, GA

Glennwood Estates is a historic neighborhood located in the northeast section of Decatur, Georgia. It is a residential neighborhood chiefly of single-family homes including a nature preserve and an adjoining park. At least a third of the homes were built in the 1920s and were relatively large for the time. Glenn Creek and the South Fork of Peachtree Creek Tributary run through the neighborhood.^[1]

Glennwood Estates is accessed from East Ponce de Leon Avenue to the south, and Church Street and Sycamore Drive to the north. The heart of the community and primary north-south road is Glendale Avenue, which has two arcing branches- Mount Vernon Drive and Glenn Circle. The north end of Glendale Avenue terminates in Forkner Drive, another residential street with four cul-de-sacs, all part of the neighborhood.

The varied topography, substantial trees, and historic residences are a defining characteristic of the neighborhood within the city of Decatur. The neighborhood borders two key local greenspaces-Glenlake Park and the Decatur Cemetery are northwest of Glennwood Estates. Both are accessible by a paved trail coming off Glenndale Avenue.

Neighboring communities include the Ponce de Leon Court Historic District, characterized by bungalows developed in the 1920s, which is southwest of the neighborhood. The Decatur Heights neighborhood (and Glenn Creek Nature Preserve) lie just to the east. Ridgeland Avenue, Hickory Street and Fairview Street were developed as a part of Glennwood Estates, though are now generally considered part of the contiguous Decatur Heights community.

History

Glennwood Estates has been a distinct parcel since DeKalb County, Georgia, was first divided into parcels. The property passed through a number of owners until it was sold to John T. Glenn, a carpetbagger from New York, c. 1869.^[2] Mr. Glenn began developing land in the area in the 1870s. His house is noted on an 1879 map of Decatur.^[3] After his death, a small portion of the land was sold for Glenwood School.

The area south of Glenn Creek was first subdivision parcel developed in 1927 by Pattillo, Hamff & Robarts. The original development included a provision to keep the area north of the creek as a forest.^[2] However, the area north of the creek was developed beginning in 1939, and the neighborhood was completed shortly after World War II.

Parks

Glenn Creek Nature Preserve Archived 2008-07-24 at the Wayback Machine , Fairview Street. A 2-acre (8,100 m²) nature preserve purchased in 2004, and located between Glennwood Estates and Decatur Heights. The primary entrance to the preserve is at the end of Fairview Street in Decatur Heights, but there are two private access points from Glennwood Estates. Glenn Creek bisects the site, running from the SE to the NW. There are walking paths within the preserve, and a clearing in the center of the preserve. The preserve is open to the public by appointment, but has a calendar of events on their website. "Glenn Creek" also was known as "Hunter's Branch" in the 19th Century, after a C.S.A. Colonel Hunter who owned property in the vicinity.^[4]
Glenlake Park & Pool, 1121 Church Street. A 17-acre (69,000 m²) park with a picnic area, pool, tennis courts, sports courts, playground and dog park. Traditionally, “Glenn Lake” received its name by combining the names of the neighborhoods that are located on each side of it - Glennwood Estates and the Great Lakes neighborhood. Although the City of Decatur purchased the land from Tom Anderson in 1950, the property was owned by Mr. Hunter beginning in 1872. Hunter, a C.S.A. colonel, supported himself in the post-war years by operating a peach brandy brewery. (The brewery is reputed to have been located where the pool is.)^[4]

Streets

The principal north-south road is Glendale Avenue, which stretches 0.7 miles from Forkner Drive in the north to Ponce De Leon Avenue in south. Two branching loops form Mount Vernon Drive and Glenn Circle, the latter of which is intersected in two points by Pinecrest Avenue. Pinecrest Avenue was referred to as Morse Hill in early DeKalb deed books).^[2] The intersection of Pinecrest and Glenn Circle (the old "Morse Hill") is near the highest elevation point in the neighborhood, from which downtown Atlanta can be seen on a clear day.

Other roads in the community include the cul-de-sacs branching off Forkner Drive- Old Decatur Circle, 218 Glendale and Regency 222. The neighboring roads of Mountain View Street, Oak Lane, Hillcrest Avenue, and Springdale Street are considered a part of Glennwood Estates or the Decatur Heights area.

Transportation

Ponce de Leon Avenue, is located south of the neighborhood, and is the primary entry point from Atlanta.
Avondale MARTA rail station, is located southeast of the neighborhood.
Church Street, is located north of the neighborhood, and is the primary entry point from Interstate 285.

Related Research Articles

Decatur is a city in, and the county seat of, DeKalb County, Georgia, United States, part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. With a population of 24,928 in the 2020 census, the municipality is sometimes assumed to be larger since multiple ZIP Codes in unincorporated DeKalb County bear Decatur as the address. The city is served by three MARTA rail stations. The city is located approximately five miles northeast of Downtown Atlanta and shares its western border with both the city of Atlanta and unincorporated DeKalb County. The Druid Hills neighborhood is to the northwest of Decatur.

Druid Hills is a community which includes both a census-designated place (CDP) in unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States, as well as a neighborhood of the city of Atlanta. The CDP's population was 14,568 at the 2010 census. The CDP formerly contained the main campus of Emory University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); however, they were annexed by Atlanta in 2018. The Atlanta-city section of Druid Hills is one of Atlanta's most affluent neighborhoods with a mean household income in excess of $238,500.

North Decatur is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 16,698 at the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oakhurst, Decatur, Georgia</span>

Oakhurst is a historic neighborhood in the southwest corner of Decatur, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. It is located south of downtown Decatur and approximately six miles east of downtown Atlanta. Oakhurst primarily consists of residences built in the early 20th century and neighborhood businesses. It is roughly bounded by the City of Atlanta's Kirkwood neighborhood on the west ; the Atlanta city limits on the south; West College Ave. on the north; and South McDonough St. on the east. There is also a neighborhood near the College Heights Early Learning Center referred to as "College Heights", but it is part of Historic Oakhurst.

Avondale is a train station in Decatur, Georgia. It is on the Blue Line of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) rail system. The station is at-grade and has two island platforms, one for each direction. The center two tracks are not normally used for through service. Because of these middle tracks, it is not uncommon for trains to be bound for Avondale, having passengers change trains at Avondale. A limited number of Green Line trains originate and terminate at Avondale rather than at their normal terminus at Edgewood / Candler Park, though these trains bypass East Lake and Decatur.

Ponce de Leon Avenue, often simply called Ponce, provides a link between Atlanta, Decatur, Clarkston, and Stone Mountain, Georgia. It was named for Ponce de Leon Springs, in turn from explorer Juan Ponce de León, but is not pronounced as in Spanish. Several grand and historic buildings are located on the avenue.

Winnona Park is a historic area in the southeast corner of the Atlanta, Georgia suburb of Decatur. It is listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places, but it is not one of the City of Decatur's locally designated historic districts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clairemont – Great Lakes (Decatur)</span>

Clairemont - Great Lakes is a historic neighborhood in the north central section of the Atlanta, Georgia suburb of Decatur. It primarily consists of residences and churches. However, there are businesses on West Ponce de Leon Avenue, in the southernmost section of the neighborhood. Its rough boundaries are Coventry Road, Ponce de Leon Avenue and Commerce Drive on the south; Church Street on the east; Scott Boulevard on the north; and Willow on the northeast. The section of Superior Avenue north of Scott Boulevard is also considered part of this neighborhood. Ridgeland Park, located northeast of the Clairemont - Great Lakes neighborhood, is not presently considered part of the neighborhood. It was developed later (1946–1950) and is in unincorporated DeKalb County. However, in 2008 the city of Decatur began evaluating annexation of this neighborhood, which is contiguous to the rest of the development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ponce de Leon Court Historic District</span> Historic district in Georgia, United States

The Ponce de Leon Court Historic District consists of a single cul-de-sac located immediately east of downtown Decatur, Georgia. The street is accessed off of East Ponce de Leon Avenue, a historic road that runs east from Atlanta, Georgia through Decatur. Historic Decatur Cemetery is located to the north, and affluent Glynnwood Estates, developed in 1927, and Glenwood school border Ponce de Leon Court on the east.

Decatur Heights is a historic community located in the northeast corner of the Atlanta, Georgia suburb of Decatur. It includes residences, churches and a nature preserve. During much of the 20th Century, this community primarily consisted modest homes. However, in the 1990s it became a neighborhood where “tear downs” were increasingly common. This has resulted in the demolition of the modest cottages the community was historically known for.

Adair Park is a historic and contemporary community in the west section of the Atlanta, Georgia suburb of Decatur. It is one of Decatur’s most diverse communities in terms of building types, and includes several individual neighborhoods. Adair Park has single family residences, townhomes, cluster homes, institutional buildings and commercial buildings – built from the early 1900s to 2008. Its rough boundaries are: downtown Decatur to the east; Ponce de Leon Avenue to the north; Howard Avenue and the railroad tracks to the south; and the Parkwood neighborhood to the west. There is also an Adair Park in southwest Atlanta, but it is not part of the Decatur community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ponce de Leon Heights (Decatur)</span>

Ponce de Leon Heights is a historic neighborhood in the west section Decatur, a suburb of the Atlanta, Georgia, USA. It includes single family residences and a church, primarily built in the early 1900s. The neighborhood is located between Scott Blvd. to the northwest, Ponce de Leon Avenue to the south and Coventry Road to the east. Although the neighborhood partially fronts on Ponce de Leon Avenue, there are no commercial businesses.

Chelsea Heights and Westchester Hills are adjacent neighborhoods, separated by a municipal park, in the northwest corner of the Atlanta, Georgia suburb of Decatur. Chelsea Heights straddles the east and west sides of the CSX railroad tracks, falling within the City of Decatur and the unincorporated DeKalb County, respectively. The latter part, though located east of what historically was Druid Hills, is part of the Druid Hills CDP and participates in the Druid Hills Civic Association: see Chelsea Heights.

Parkwood is a neighborhood on the western side of Decatur, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. Although a small portion of the neighborhood was always within the city limits of Decatur, the remainder of the Parkwood neighborhood was voluntarily annexed into the City of Decatur effective July 1, 2014. The neighborhood is bounded by Ponce de Leon Avenue to the north; East Lake Road to the south; the CSX railroad tracks to the west; and Melrose Avenue and the Adair Park community to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sycamore Street (Decatur)</span> Atlanta, Georgia

Sycamore Street is both a street and a historic neighborhood located in the Atlanta, Georgia suburb of Decatur. The street is known for its homes, which are some of the largest historic homes in Decatur. It is also "book-ended” by MARTA stations, and the MARTA track runs underneath the western end of Sycamore Street. The neighborhood includes historic homes, historic churches, townhouses and adaptive reuse condominiums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nine-Mile Circle</span>

The Nine-Mile Circle was a streetcar line of the Atlanta Street Railway, later the Atlanta Consolidated Street Railway which went from downtown Atlanta to today's Virginia-Highland neighborhood as follows:

Streetcars originally operated in Atlanta downtown and into the surrounding areas from 1871 until the final line's closure in 1949.

In Atlanta, Georgia, trolleybuses, generally called trackless trolleys there, were a major component of the public transportation system in the middle decades of the 20th century, carrying some 80 percent of all transit riders during the period when the system was at its maximum size. At the end of 1949 Atlanta had a fleet of 453 trolleybuses, the largest in the United States, and it retained this distinction until 1952, when it was surpassed by Chicago.

References

Clark, Caroline McKinney. The story of Decatur, 1823-1899. DeKalb Historical Society (1996).
Price, Vivian. Historic DeKalb County: An Illustrated History (Georgia Heritage Series). Historical Publishing Network (2007).

Notes

↑ "" Open Street Map- Decatur Cemetery Map showing the South Fork of Peachtree Creek
1 2 3 " Archived 2008-08-29 at the Wayback Machine " Glenwood Estates Association Website: History. Retrieved: 14 August 2008.
↑ " Archived 2005-07-21 at the Wayback Machine " Glencreek Watershed Website: History. Retrieved: 14 August 2008.
1 2 " Archived 2005-07-21 at the Wayback Machine " Glencreek Watershed Website: History. Retrieved: 18 August 2008.

External links

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Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
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[Open_Street_Map-_Decatur_Cemetery_Map_showing_the_South_Fork_of_Peachtree_Creek-1] "" Open Street Map- Decatur Cemetery Map showing the South Fork of Peachtree Creek

[glennwoodestates.org-2] 1 2 3 " Archived 2008-08-29 at the Wayback Machine " Glenwood Estates Association Website: History. Retrieved: 14 August 2008.

[3] " Archived 2005-07-21 at the Wayback Machine " Glencreek Watershed Website: History. Retrieved: 14 August 2008.

[glencreek.org-4] 1 2 " Archived 2005-07-21 at the Wayback Machine " Glencreek Watershed Website: History. Retrieved: 18 August 2008.

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