The revitalization of the Historic Sweet Auburn District continues with plans for a new Hero Walk, thanks to funding support from a $200,000 Eastside Tax Allocation District (TAD) grant approved by the Invest Atlanta Board.
Walking With Heroes is a first-ever capital campaign created to enhance the public experience in the Sweet Auburn Historic District for key neighborhood revitalization and historic preservation projects. The campaign will spotlight Sweet Auburn’s identity with a curated pedestrian walk that tells the stories of Atlanta’s Black heroes both past and present.
The 1.1-mile Hero Walk will navigate participants from the Jackson Street Bridge to the Historic Oakland Cemetery and pay homage to the late Congressman John Lewis within the broader context of many notable spiritual, civic and political leaders whose legacies also are rooted in Sweet Auburn.
“It’s true not just for visitors but for those who live here to have a place to help us reflect on who came before us,” said Invest Atlanta Board Member Fred Smith. “This is an area that goes to the heart of our identity as a city.”
The Historic Sweet Auburn District will also receive streetscape enhancements, along Edgewood and Auburn Avenues, to support redevelopment initiatives and increase commercial and residential activity.
The Sweet Auburn Community Infrastructure Initiative, supported by Central Atlanta Progress, received a $2.5 million Eastside TAD grant to help finance sidewalks, traffic calming measures, wayfinding, lighting, security and vacant lot activation, a retail accelerator fund for entrepreneurs of color in the district, and capacity building for Sweet Auburn Works.
Together, these projects will create synergies between existing assets, investments, and stakeholders, and mobilize a broader community-driven vision for the future of Sweet Auburn—ultimately bringing what was once the heart of Atlanta to new levels of growth.
“I walked the corridor last week, and it’s great to see a number of people visiting the city and also those who live in the city who clearly have an interest in this area and learning more,” said Invest Atlanta Board Member Todd Greene. “This is a much-needed amenity that will hopefully catalyze some of the other redevelopment efforts needed to preserve and celebrate our history.”