Atlanta Midtown and Museums Walking Tour
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Description
This walking tour starts at the Atlanta History Center's Margaret Mitchell House and winds its way north through Midtown with stops at several landmarks and numerous museums.
Margaret Mitchell House and Museum
The Margaret Mitchell House and Museum, located along Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is operated by the Atlanta History Center. While living at the home, Mitchell wrote the bulk of her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Gone with the Wind. Since the home opened to the public on May 17, 1997, it has become a staple of the local community as an important literary center and event venue.
Atlanta Monetary Museum and Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
The Atlanta Monetary Museum, housed in the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, features exhibits that highlight the role of money in world history and document the history of banking in the United States.
Atlanta Women's Club (Wimbish House)
Located in the historic Wimbish House, the Atlanta Women's Club has been a vital, driving force in the city's social, cultural and economic development. It was founded in 1895 after a meeting of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, which was held at the Cotton States Exposition in Piedmont Park. The club's members have participated in numerous philanthropic and community-related activities in educational, arts, and civic areas. During its first two decades, the club played an important role in establishing the airport (now the busiest in the world), a mobile library, the first art gallery (in the Wimbish House), the city's kindergartens (by advocating they be incorporated into the public school system), Tallulah Falls High School, and many others. The club continues to be a vibrant and vocal force in the city.
The Castle (aka Fort Peace)
The Castle is situated in midtown Atlanta near the High Museum of Art. The structure was built by Atlanta businessman Ferdinand McMillan as his private residence in 1904. The home housed a number of facilities related to the local arts community following McMillan's death and was named a historic landmark in 1989. The structure is now owned by New York investor Bryan Latham.
High Museum of Art
The High Museum was established in 1905 and is the leading art museum in the Southeast. It houses over 15,000 works of art that are on permanent display and has featured a variety of artwork on loan from world-class museums such as the Louvre. In 2010, the museum became one of the 100 most-visited art museums in the world after 509,000 individuals passed through its doors that year. Its collection is comprised of American and decorative art, African art, European paintings, African American art, modern and contemporary art, photography, folk art, and self-taught art. Special attention is also paid to works created by Southern artists. Artists represented at the High include Chuck Close, Dorothy Lange, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Claude Monet, Tommaso del Mazza, John Copley, and Walker Evans. The collection also includes a large sculpture called "The Shade" created by Auguste Rodin, which stands outside on the museum grounds. The High's photography collection is large, featuring 6,000 prints. At the core is one of the best Civil Rights era photography holdings in the country.
Breman Jewish Heritage and Holocaust Museum
The Breman Jewish Heritage and Holocaust Museum opened in 1996 and, as its name indicates, is dedicated to preserving Jewish history in Georgia and teaching visitors about the Holocaust. To these ends, the museum features permanent and changing exhibits using items from its collection (national touring exhibits are presented as well). Many of these items were donated to the museum from Jewish families from the city and state. Interesting items include the minute books of the Hebrew Ladies' Benevolent Society which date to 1878, and Rabbi Isaac Marcuson's papers from Temple Beth Israel in Macon, Georgia. The museum also features the Cuba Archives, the Weinberg Center for Holocaust Education, the Jewish Genealogical Society of Georgia, and a library. The archives contains over 2,000 manuscripts and 15,000 photographs. The museum is named after Jewish philanthropist William Breman, who owned a steel company called Breman Steel Company.
Prince Charles Monument-World Athletes Monument
The monument stands 55 feet above Pershing Point in Midtown. The five columnns honor the five continents that sent athletes to the 1996 Summer Olympics and the statue is dedicated to the all of the athletes who participated in the games. The statue was a gift from the Prince of Wales with help from local citizens who agreed to raise one-third of the cost of the statue. When Princess Diana was killed in 1997, an estimated 20,000 mourners gathered at the statue. Since that time, the statue has become the symbol of the Midtown neighborhood and the center of celebrations as well as vigils and remembrances.
Rhodes Hall: The Castle on Peachtree
Rhodes Memorial Hall, commonly known as Rhodes Hall or the Castle on Peachtree, is a historic house located in Atlanta, Georgia. It was built as the home of Amos Giles Rhodes, founder of Atlanta-based Rhodes Furniture. The Romanesque Revival house occupies a prominent location on Peachtree Street, the main street of Atlanta, and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It is open to the public and has been the home of The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation since 1983.
