In southeast Atlanta, 1950s state-owned facility is biting the dust

atlanta.urbanize.city In southeast Atlanta, 1950s state-owned facility is biting the dust

United Avenue building was longtime home of Georgia Department of Public Safety headquarters

In southeast Atlanta, 1950s state-owned facility is biting the dust Josh Green Wed, 08/16/2023 - 13:06 As inquisitive readers have pointed out, a 1950s facility familiar to many southeast Atlanta residents is quickly making its way to the afterlife right now.

Replacing the sprawling 959 United Avenue building will be… well, nothing for now.

The demolition project is located at the point where three southeast Atlanta neighborhoods—Ormewood Park, Woodland Hills, and Boulevard Heights—converge, between Moreland Avenue and the BeltLine’s Southside Trail corridor.

The 959 United Avenue SE location between the BeltLine and Moreland Avenue. Google Maps

Demolition progress on site this week along United Avenue. Submitted

What’s being razed now is the former Georgia Department of Public Safety headquarters, which dates to 1956 and is part of a massive state-owned complex the size of several intown blocks.

Capt. Michael Burns, Georgia State Patrol public information officer, tells Urbanize Atlanta the building is being demolished because a new headquarters has recently opened in the same United Avenue complex.

“As of now,” says Burns, “the building is simply being demolished and the area cleared.”

Two years ago this month, state dignitaries including Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Department of Public Safety commissioner Col. Chris Wright attended a groundbreaking ceremony at the new headquarters facility site, which officials predicted “will be modern and incorporate cutting-edge technology that will serve DPS for generations to come.”

At that time, the 1950s HQ was described as "outdated."

The 1950s former DPS headquarters, as seen in January. Google Maps