Home of Atlanta's first Black mayor preserved in Vine City
Former Atlanta mayor's home being used by Spelman College
The childhood home of Atlanta’s first Black mayor, Maynard Jackson, has been officially added to the Georgia Register of Historic Places and is beginning a new chapter as housing for Spelman College faculty.
ATLANTA - The childhood home of Atlanta’s first Black mayor, Maynard Jackson, has been officially added to the Georgia Register of Historic Places and is beginning a new chapter as housing for Spelman College faculty.
What we know:
The historic home sits in Vine City, an area deeply tied to the civil rights movement. The property is located next door to a home once occupied by Martin Luther King Jr., placing it at the center of one of Atlanta’s most historically significant blocks.
The house, built by Jackson’s parents, was where he grew up with his five siblings. His mother, Irene Jackson, later became a key figure in civil rights history after desegregating the Fulton County public library system by becoming the first Black person to receive a library card — a move that sparked protests outside the family’s home in the late 1950s.
The property was restored by the West Side Future Fund, which purchased the house after it had been slated for demolition. The organization committed to preserving the structure, restoring it with historically accurate materials, and securing its place on the state’s historic registry.
Much of the renovation work was done by hand to preserve original details, including custom wood windows and historic architectural features that cannot be replaced with modern materials. While the interior was carefully restored to make the home livable, the exterior environment was preserved to reflect how it appeared during the height of the civil rights era.
The restored home is now being used as affordable housing for faculty and staff from Spelman College, where Irene Jackson once taught. One unit is already occupied, with additional spaces still available.
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The historic designation not only recognizes the home’s role in Georgia and national history, but also provides tax incentives that will help ensure the property remains preserved for generations to come.