St. Mark AME Church, a Stone Mountain granite structure built in 1920, is one of the most prominent and historic landmarks in the English Avenue community. After decades of decline, fires and the removal of its roof and interior, the property now stands as a stabilized stone shell designated as a City of Atlanta landmark ruin.

While incremental, volunteer-led preservation efforts have prevented its collapse, critical wall capping, drainage improvements and temporary shoring are needed to protect the structure and ensure public safety. The Invest Atlanta Board approved a $60,000 Westside Tax Allocation District (TAD) grant to help finance the emergency stabilization of this historically significant church.

In July 2025, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation awarded its inaugural $20,000 Wade and Mary Lu Mitchell African American Heritage Preservation Grant to the St. Mark AME Church building for urgently needed masonry repairs. Subsequently, it was discovered that more significant damage was present, and additional funding was needed to fortify the structure to prevent further shifting. The Invest Atlanta TAD grant will complete this critical phase of stabilization and allow the property to advance toward full architectural and engineering assessment for future adaptive reuse.

Originally built in 1920 as Western Heights Baptist Church and later acquired by the St. Mark AME congregation in 1948, the building embodies a layered, multi-racial and multi-era history of Atlanta’s Westside and represents a significant “New South” architectural statement built by masons from across Georgia. The church served as a major African American worship center and site of important community events, including AME conferences and Booker T. Washington High School ceremonies, and remains a testament to neighborhood transitions shaped by segregation, redlining, demographic shifts and disinvestment.

After abandonment in 1976 and severe deterioration, including fire damage, Pastor Winston Taylor acquired the property in 1995 and began decades of grassroots stabilization work. In partnership with the Atlanta Preservation Center and Georgia Institute of Technology, St. Mark became Atlanta’s first designated landmark ruin in 2023. The site now hosts community events, a pollinator garden and preservation education programs, demonstrating its ongoing value as a civic resource.