Candler Park

Atlanta is a Coke town.  Maybe, more accurately put - Atlanta is the city that Coke built.   Coca-Cola, one of the most recognizable logos on the planet, was invented here, is headquartered here, and employs a whole lotta people here.  But, not a lot of people know the Coke story. 

Back in 1885, an entrepreneurial druggist named John Pemberton, began selling his newly invented "Pemberton's French Wine Coca" to Atlanta's upper class.  Pemberton's carbonated alcoholic concoction was infused with several key ingredients - caffeine from the kola nut, a mild sedative in the form of damiana , and cocaine.  Pemberton sold his drink as a medicinal beverage to relieve the medical conditions, and suffering of the business class, brought on by the stress of living in Atlanta's urban environment.  In 1886, Atlanta passed temperance laws to prohibit the sale and consumption of alcohol, and the ever-clever Pemberton reformulated his beverage by removing the alcohol and calling it Coca-Cola.   In 1888, another business-minded drug store owner, Asa Candler, purchased the rights to the Coco-Cola name and formula for $2,300.  Candler was a master of marketing, and in just a few decades, Coca-Cola became an American icon, albeit, after 1903, a cocaine-free icon.  

Asa Candler made millions off of his Coca-Cola acquisition, and he gave much back to his beloved City of Atlanta.  He gave a million dollars and a land grant to Emory University, allowing the school to move from Oxford, Georgia to Atlanta.  He had built the Candler Building, still standing in downtown Atlanta, as well as the Candler Building in New York City's Times Square.  

In 1922, Asa Candler donated the 55 acres that are now known as Candler Park.  Shortly after, the beautiful neighborhood surrounding the park became generally known as Candler Park.  Just about 5 minutes east of Downtown Atlanta, Candler Park is bordered by Inman Park, Edgewood, Lake Claire, Druid Hills, and Little Five Points.

Candler Park is now one of Atlanta's landmark intown neighborhoods, and real estate prices are pretty steep.  The homes are wonderfully diverse - gorgeous Victorians, classic Craftsman bungalows, and some ultra-modern gems.  Just a stone's throw from Downtown Atlanta, Candler Park, like so many of Atlanta's neighborhoods, feels like a self-contained, charming little village.  The community flavor is decidedly progressive, with a heaping helping of hippie-ness.  Anti-war yard signs, pro-peace bumper stickers, odd lawn ornaments, and yoga studios abound.  As do warm smiles, and genuine "good morning" wishes from passing pedestrians. I'd wager there are more purple houses per square block here, than in any other part of town.  


Friendly, walkable, beautiful, full of quirky character and community mindedness, Candler Park is everything a neighborhood should be.  Neighbors sit on their front porches and shoot the breeze with each other, and meet up at Dr. Bombay's Underwater Tea Party for tea, a pastry, and good conversation.  It's that sort of community that inspired me to get back to this project after a year-long hiatus.  Nearly 3 years into this journey, it's time to get back to chronicling Atlanta.