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5 days ago

🏛️ From National Policy to Local Protection: Celebrating 60 Years of the NHPA 🏛️Sixty years ago, the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) marked a turning point in how America recognizes and protects its history. Signed into law on October 15, 1966, the NHPA established the National Register and created a national framework for historic preservation planning and review, including Section 106.But federal policy only goes so far. Local action is required to ensure the permanent protection of historic resources.That’s where preservation easements come in.As a qualified easement-holding nonprofit, we build upon the legacy of the NHPA by partnering directly with property owners, developers, and local governments. While the NHPA created a national preservation framework, our easements ensure that these historic, cultural, and architectural assets are preserved in perpetuity—regardless of ownership changes or development pressures.What is your favorite historic place in our community? Let us know in the comments below!Image Credits:(1) Protesters, including urban activist Jane Jacobs (center of image ), demonstrating against the planned demolition of New York City’s Penn Station, 1963. Photo: Getty Images.(2) Demolition of the historic Peachtree Terrace Apartments at Pershing Point Park, Atlanta, Georgia, 1987. Photo courtesy of the Atlanta Preservation Center.(3) A selection of historic Metro-Atlanta properties now protected in perpetuity through historic preservation easements with Easements Atlanta. ... See MoreSee Less

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Easements Atlanta, Inc. is with Heritage Preservation at Georgia State University.

2 weeks ago

We are excited to introduce our Stewardship Intern for the 2026-2027 year! Meet Sarah Bishop, a first year grad student in the GSU Heritage Preservation program. Sarah will be responsible for conducting our annual property inspections and assisting our Executive Director in drafting the subsequent report to the property owners.Sarah is a 2024 Oglethorpe University graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in History and a minor in Art History. She is looking forward to expanding her understanding of the historic preservation field and gaining hands-on experience documenting historic building materials while she is with EA this year. And a fun fact about Sarah - with a father who hails from Scotland - she is learning how to play the bagpipes.Welcome, Sarah, we’re looking forward to a great year! 📸:1. Sarah on site performing an inspection of the Telephone Factory Lofts, Atlanta.2. Sarah at the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam.#preservationinternship#historicpreservation#graduateresearchassistant ... See MoreSee Less

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Easements Atlanta, Inc.

4 weeks ago

Great event coming up next week Atlanta Preservation CenterFree but registration required. ... See MoreSee Less

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Easements Atlanta, Inc.

4 weeks ago

Great news! ... See MoreSee Less

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Easements Atlanta, Inc.

2 months ago

** Special Announcement **Easements Atlanta recently accepted a preservation easement on the historic c. 1937 Prince Hall Grand Masonic Lodge at 330 Auburn Avenue NE.Easements Atlanta (EA) was honored to accept the preservation easement donation from the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Georgia, making this EA’s second holding in theSweet Auburn neighborhood. This agreement ensures the historic character of the property will be protected, including significant interior spaces, the latter of which is a first for EA. Collaborating with Trust for Public Land, the Prince Hall Grand Masonic Lodge was the recipient of funding from the African American Civil Rights Grant Program, which includes a twenty-year term easement as a component of the National Park Service grant requirements. This partnership between Trust for Public Land and the leadership of the Prince Hall Masonic Grand Lodge has resulted in the restoration of the building so that it could be programmed as part of Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park. “This is a profound and meaningful partnership for our organization; to be included on the stewardship team of a property with such a storied history is an incredible honor,” said SarahBorcherding, Executive Director of EA. “Additionally, the inclusion of interior spaces in the easement [on the first, second, and third floors] reinforces the historic and cultural significanceof the property. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference offices, the Prince Hall Masonic meeting rooms, Eastern Star meeting rooms, along with the WERDstudio and Walker Beauty Salon are now protected. Preserving these physical spaces facilitates the interpretation and memory of the pivotal history this building witnessed on Auburn Avenue.”“This building has stood at Auburn Avenue and Hilliard Street since 1937 as proof of what Black Atlantans could build for themselves at a time when doors elsewhere were closed to them,” said Primus James, the 19th Most Worshipful Grand Master of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Georgia. “John Wesley Dobbs and the brethren who raised these walls intended them to serve the whole community, and they did—as a Masonic home, as a place of business for Black entrepreneurs, and as the headquarters from which Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference carried the movement forward. In granting this easement, the Craft makes a promise that the rooms where that history happened will remain intact long after all of us have passed. We are grateful to Trust for Public Land, the National Park Service, and Easements Atlanta for standing with us in keeping that promise.”“Places like the Prince Hall Grand Lodge are more than historic buildings—they are tangible connections to the people, organizations, and movements that shaped Atlanta and our nation,” said George Dusenbury, Vice President, Southern Region at Trust for Public Land. “This preservation easement is an important investment in keeping the legacy of Atlanta’s Black leaders, entrepreneurs, and civil rights advocates alive. We’re proud to have helped bring resources to protect this important place, ensuring that future generations can experience and learn from the history that unfolded here.”David Yoakley Mitchell, Executive Director of the Atlanta Preservation Center, and an Easements Atlanta board member, shared this thought on the donation, “The Sweet AuburnNHLD holds national significance as a place of historic African American institutional and community buildings. From its inception as a black business district, Auburn Avenue was thehome to several African American Masonic/fraternal organizations. These organizations formed an important piece in the cultural and financial makeup of the street, and they represent theachievements of African American leaders of the city, state, and nation and were an important part of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s formative years. The Prince Hall Grand Masonic Lodgerepresents a significant part of our shared past and serves to inform future generations of the stories of segregation, entrepreneurship, the civil rights movement, and organizations thatstrengthened the community and provided leadership and support throughout its history. Easements Atlanta makes sure we don't forget that.”Constructed in 1937 (completed in 1940), the Prince Hall Grand Masonic Lodge was the vision of John Wesley Dobbs, the Grand Master of the Prince Hall Masons. The building not only housedassembly space for the Prince Hall Masons but also provided safe meeting and commercial space for many other Black organizations and businesses during the Jim Crow era. In 1963, it became the headquarters of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with the offices of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.Designed by Charles Hopson and constructed by Alexander D. Hamilton, the buff-colored brick building features an array of classical and masonic symbolism on the primary facade. Anaddition in 1955 expanded the upstairs area, as well as adding commercial space along Hilliard Street. The building recently underwent a multimillion-dollar rehabilitation and is nowincluded in the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park. ... See MoreSee Less

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Easements Atlanta, Inc.

2 months ago

We are pleased to welcome Sarah Ripple to the Board of Directors of Easements Atlanta.Sarah is a historic preservation professional with over 15 years of experience stewarding historic buildings, specializing in local and federal regulations, Section 106, and the Secretary of the Interior's Standards. She is a Senior Associate with Higgins Quasebarth & Partners and has previously worked in both the private and public sectors in Philadelphia, New York City—including with the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission and the Vieux Carre Commission in her hometown of New Orleans. Sarah holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and Art History from the Honors College at Louisiana State University and a Master of Science in Historic Preservation from Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation.Asked what her favorite projects have been: "Two favorites - being charged with the care of the French Quarter was very personal for me, touching on my home-grown love for history, architecture, and preservation. And on the flip side of scale, Rockefeller Center in New York. With eight years and counting working as Landmarks consultant for the Center, my favorite New York landmark, it feels like a family member, and it's been an honor to be part of the landmark's life." Sarah's expertise and commitment to preservation make her a wonderful addition to our Board as we continue our mission to protect historic spaces in perpetuity across Metro Atlanta. ... See MoreSee Less

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