8 Houses Built to Establish Morningside

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution March 28, 1926, Morningside opened in 1923.  “This development has been based on superior advantages.  Morningside is in the natural line of progress, being traversed by North Boulevard, Highland Avenue, and Piedmont Road, three main thoroughfares leading from the city.  Morningside is accessible to the city by street car or coaches.”   614 and 626 E Morningside were the first houses built in Morningside, 705 E Morningside was built in 1928 as the Atlanta Constitution Model Home, and the stucco houses on Sherwood (696, 697, 701, 703, 707, and 715) were built in a Mediterranean style in 1926.

Houses in photo (left to right) are currently at 750 Sherwood, 696 Sherwood, and unknown address.  House in center is at 702 Sherwood.

614 E Morningside Drive, One of the First Houses to be Built in Morningside

626 E Morningside Drive, One of the First Houses to be Built in Morningside

University Park and Highland Park

The University Park subdivision of Tudor houses was developed around Lanier University in 1921.  Later in the middle 1920s, the Highland Park subdivision was developed around Courtenay and Northview.  Courtenay was originally named Southview.

Map of Courtenay and Northview

Wilson Park

The triangular park at the intersection of E Rock Springs and E Morningside is named for President Woodrow Wilson.  It was dedicated by the Atlanta Women’s Club in 1924.

Marker to Honor President Woodrow Wilson in Wilson Park

Wilson Triangle Park

Highland Park Shopping Center at intersection of N Highland and University

In 1925, the Highland Park Shopping Center was constructed along N Highland.  This row of commercial storefronts originally included the family-owned Shackleford’s Drugstore, Henry’s Dry Cleaning, and Rogers Brothers Grocery.  Later tenants included Havers 5 & 10, Van Orner’s Hardware, and a bakery, beauty salon, and several real estate offices.

Highland Park Shopping Center (Note the monuments on the corners of the roof.)

Morningside Presbyterian Church

The first Morningside Presbyterian Church was founded in 1925 and was located at 415 Morningside Drive.  In 1944, church members purchased property at 1411 N Morningside Drive and hired architects Thomas and Wagner of Philadelphia.  The congregation moved in in 1945, and the steeple was added in 1957.

Hillside Foundation

During the late 1880s, the concept for a home to help needy women and children in Atlanta evolved from three concerned Atlanta women: Mrs. Levi B. Nelson, Mrs. Edgar Poe McBurney, and Mrs.  J.P. Averill.  An Advisory Board was formed, personal resources were combined, grants from the city were received, a charter was adopted, and property was rented.  The Home for the Friendless was the first social service agency in Atlanta.  Current cottage names include McBurney and Averill.

In 1926, eight acres of woodland at 690 Courtenay Drive were purchased for $15,000.  In 1929, construction began for the first four buildings.  With the support of the Kiwanis Club, Hillside Cottages, a friendly home for children, was established, not as an orphanage but as a receiving home where children of nearby counties could be cared for during periods of family emergency.

Hillside Cottages 1954

Morningside Shopping Center on Piedmont

In 1928, construction of the Morningside Shopping Center on Piedmont Road began.  The original tenants included King Hardware, Blair’s Florist, and Rhodes Bakery.  The second floor was built as a Masonic Lodge, which operated there for 50 years.

Morningside Shopping Center

Morningside Elementary School opened with 6 rooms

In 1929, Morningside Elementary School began as a 6-classroom building.  In 1934, additional construction of the main school building, a Tudor Jacobethan structure designed by George H. Bond, was prompted by extensive neighborhood growth.  Additional renovations occurred in 1995 and 2021.

Morningside Elementary School

Morningside Elementary School

Check out the extraordinary herringbone brickwork.