The Trust Company of Georgia Northeast Freeway Branch has been listed
in the National Register of Historic Places. The property is located at 2160 Monroe Drive NE in Atlanta (Fulton
County). The property owners sponsored the nomination, and Ray,
Ellis & LaBrie Consulting prepared the nomination materials.
The Trust
Company of Georgia Northeast Freeway Branch is located in northeast Atlanta,
close to I-85 just north of its split from I-75. Built in 1962, the building
occupies a one-acre oval-shaped lot formed by the creation of the Buford Spring
Connector, then known as the Northeast Expressway, between 1949 and 1952.
The Trust
Company of Georgia Northeast Freeway Branch was listed in the National Register
of Historic Places as significant in the area of commerce, for its association
with commercial banking trends and mid-20th century commercial
development in Atlanta; and in the area of architecture, as an excellent intact
example of the New Formalism style. Its construction is a direct result of the
confluence of several trends in the Georgia banking industry and development
patterns and growth of the city of Atlanta during the mid-20th century: more
liberal bank branch regulations and the popularization of car-centric “motor
banking” dovetailed with the unprecedented suburbanization of the city as a
result of highway construction. Designed by architect Henri Jova, who was Chief
of Design for Abreu & Robeson at the time, the building is representative
of the banking industry’s evolution to embrace Modern architecture during the
mid-20th century as one means of building a progressive corporate
image.
The building,
constructed of reinforced concrete and concrete block with brick veneer, is
composed of a round two-story main block capped by an undulation of overhanging
eaves. Three single-story teller kiosks telescope off the main block to the
west. Character-defining features of the building’s New Formalism style include
its pedestal form, simplified classical features such as symmetrical bays and
arches, and smooth finished concrete and glazed brick walls. Despite loss
of original interior finish material, the property retains integrity of
materials, design, and workmanship. The relationship to the highways and
surface streets that define the property’s integrity of location and setting
also remain intact.
The National Register of Historic Places is
our country's official list of historic buildings, structures, sites, objects,
and districts worthy of preservation. The National Register provides formal
recognition of a property's architectural, historical, or archaeological
significance. It also identifies historic properties for planning purposes, and
insures that these properties will be considered in the planning of state or federally
assisted projects. National Register listing encourages preservation of
historic properties through public awareness, federal and state tax incentives,
and grants. Listing in the National Register does not place obligations or
restrictions on the use, treatment, transfer, or disposition of private
property.
The
Historic Preservation Division (HPD) of the Georgia Department of Natural
Resources serves as Georgia’s state historic preservation office. Its mission
is to promote the preservation and use of historic places for a better Georgia. HPD’s programs include archaeology protection
and education, environmental review, grants, historic resource surveys, tax
incentives, the National Register of Historic Places, community planning and
technical assistance.
The
mission of the Department of Natural Resources is to sustain, enhance, protect
and conserve Georgia’s natural, historic and cultural resources for present and
future generations, while recognizing the importance of promoting the
development of commerce and industry that utilize sound environmental practices.
# # #
For more information contact National Register and Survey
Program Manager Stephanie Cherry-Farmer at 770-389-7843 and stephanie.cherry-farmer@dnr.ga.gov.
For press inquiries contact Historic Preservation Division Outreach Program Manager Allison Asbrock at 770-389-7868 and allison.asbrock@dnr.ga.gov
The above is a news release from the Historic Preservation Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
Releases can be found online at www.georgiashpo.org.
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