Former Atlanta Life Building Gets New Lease On Life 

Auburn Avenue, December 11, 2024. Photo by King Williams/The Atlanta VoiceOne of the last remaining historic Auburn Avenue commercial buildings will be getting a new lease on life. The landmark 229 Auburn Avenue building, home of Atlanta State Savings Bank, the first Black-owned bank in Atlanta and the first chartered Black-owned bank in Georgia, will be reincorporated into a new mixed-use development.The redevelopment project is part of a larger initiative called Sweet Auburn Grande, a revitalization effort of a block of historic properties led by developer Gorman & Co in partnership with the Butler Street Community Development Corporation. The project will reimagine a long-blighted section of Auburn Avenue and Jesse Hill Jr. Drive.229 Auburn Avenue was first constructed in 1908. It housed several different black-owned and operated businesses for decades including Atlanta Life Insurance, the company founded by Atlanta’s first black millionaire and philanthropist, Alonzo Herndon. Atlanta Life Insurance was the second and most successful business venture of Herndon after his first stint as an owner of a chain of high-end barber shops was destroyed in the 1906 Race Massacre. Photo by King Williams/The Atlanta VoiceHerndon’s ability to underwrite and protect Black-owned businesses after the massacre led to restabilization of...