The Sweet Auburn Historic District is a historic African-American neighborhood along Auburn Avenue in Atlanta, Georgia. The name Sweet Auburn was coined by John Wesley Dobbs, referring to the "richest Negro street in the world." The Sweet Auburn district includes the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site. African Americans, also known as Afro-Americans or Black Americans, are an ethnic group in the United States of America whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to West and sub-Saharan Africa. ... Downtown Atlanta skyline Atlanta is the capital and largest city of Georgia, a state of the United States of America. ... The Martin Luther King, Jr. ...

Like other black communities throughout the country, Sweet Auburn's success was intricately tied to the residential patterns forced on African Americans during the early 20th century--the result of restrictive laws in southern states which enforced segregation of the races, known as Jim Crow laws. It was here that many African Americans established businesses, congregations, and social organizations. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... A depiction of T.D. Rices Jim Crow In the United States, the so-called Jim Crow laws were made to enforce racial segregation, and included laws that would prevent African Americans from doing things that a white person could do. ...

Several churches located along the avenue, such as Big Bethel AME and First Congregational, helped build and maintain the heritage of the street. The Royal Peacock Club provided an elegant setting where many African Americans could perform and bring the changing styles of black popular music to Atlanta. Originally called the Top Hat Club when it opened in 1938, the club hosted local talent and national acts such as B.B. King, the Four Tops, the Tams and Atlanta's own Gladys Knight. One of the many significant commercial buildings within the district is the Atlanta Life Insurance Company. The second largest black insurance company in the United States, Atlanta Life Insurance was founded in 1905 by Alonzo Herndon, a former slave from Walton County, Georgia. The central building of the Atlanta Life Insurance Company complex is a Beaux Arts building facing Auburn Avenue. The district also includes the Rucker Building, Atlanta's first black-owned office building, constructed in 1904 by businessman and politican Henry A. Rucker. The Atlanta Daily World, the first black-owned daily newspaper, was founded here in 1928. Riley B. King aka B. B. King (b. ... The Four Tops circa 1966. ... Gladys Knight & the Pips circa 1970. ... 1905 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Walton County is a county located in the state of Georgia. ... 1928 was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Sweet Auburn was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976. However, like so many other inner-city neighborhoods, Sweet Auburn fell victim to lack of investment, crime and abandonment, compounded by construction of the Downtown Connector that split it in two. In 1992 the National Trust for Historic Preservation recognized that it was one of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. The Historic District Development Corporation (HDDC) was formed to turn the trend around, starting with houses surrounding the birth home of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and working outward. The USS Arizona Memorial. ... 1976 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... In Atlanta, Georgia, the Downtown Connector is the merged route of Interstate 75 and Interstate 85 through the core of the city. ... The National Trust for Historic Preservation is an American organization which was founded in 1949. ... Martin Luther King Jr. ...

This article incorporates text from the National Park Service website, a work of the U.S. government, and therefore under public domain.

External links

• http://www.sweetauburn.com/
• National Park Service description (http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/atlanta/aub.htm)