The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) closed today on a 2.5-acre parcel at 871 Wheeler St. in Atlanta’s Westside English Avenue neighborhood that will be the future home of the SPLC’s Atlanta office.
The Montgomery, Alabama-based SPLC has had an office in Atlanta since 2006, and construction on the new campus is projected to begin in the second half of 2025. However, the SPLC intends to begin site improvements immediately, including updating access to the Atlanta Westside BeltLine Connector trail and investing in new sidewalks, streetscapes and other accessibility and safety improvements to benefit the community. The SPLC is also planning cultural and artistic collaborations as it continues to build partnerships with the neighborhood, residents and visitors.
“We selected the Westside because it’s important that our new Atlanta office is centered in the communities we work alongside,” said Margaret Huang, president and CEO of the SPLC. “As we continue to think about what it means to build community power in Atlanta and throughout the South, along with organizing and innovating in collaboration with our partners, neighbors and other community-based organizations, we believe the Westside campus will provide us the opportunity for significant positive impact in the area while honoring its rich legacy of mobilizing for racial justice.”
Atlanta’s Westside contains six of Georgia’s 10 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and was home to many prominent leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, including Coretta Scott King, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the SPLC’s first president, Julian Bond.
The new Atlanta campus site, brokered by Avison Young representative Kirk Rich, was selected after a lengthy search in the Westside. The design and usages for the space will align with the organization’s vision and mission, which puts community engagement at the center its work.
Once completed, the new campus will include spaces to…
Read the full article here