Atlanta's Druid Hills:: A Brief History

by Robert Hartle Jr., Hartle

The Druid Hills neighborhood is characterized by rolling hills, magnificent trees and shrubs and gorgeous, expansive houses. Its Ponce de Leon corridor bears the imprint of the founder of American landscape architecture, Frederick Law Olmsted. The brainchild of Joel Hurt, the neighborhood was brought to fruition by some of Atlanta's most prominent businessmen, including Asa Candler, founder of Coca-Cola. It was these movers and shakers of the city who lived in the neighborhood during the early decades of the twentieth century. In 1914, Druid Hills was permanently altered with the announcement that it would be the site of Emory University's new main campus. Now the residents coexist with what has become an international university community. Historian Robert Hartle Jr. has written an honest, impeccably researched tribute to Druid Hills, truly one of the jewels in Atlanta's crown.

128 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2008

Reviews

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, workmanlike local history of an interesting Atlanta neighborhood, home of Emory and the CDC. Contrary to some local claims, only the very basic plot for the neighborhood was sketched by FL Olmsted, and most of the work was completed by his sons.

[Christia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good overview of the Druid Hills community. Hartle does a thorough job covering all areas and components of the neighborhood, including the architects themselves in addition to the institutions other than the better known residential area (such as DH High School, Emory, the CDC, various churches, and even the VA), not to mention some of the more political issues that have involved the community over the years (the development of the Presidential Parkway, etc.). This book caught my eye, partially because I drive through this area during my daily commute to and from work.

It was interesting to learn a little more of the history behind some of the homes that I pass on a daily basis. The Candler family, who figured prominently in the development of the community, has always intrigued me, and I could just imagine the hullabaloo created by Buddie Candler's zoo, as so vividly described by the author. I would have liked to read more about the individual residents (and I also wish the author would have identified the owners of some of the homes pictured, athough their identity was most likely not revealed for privacy). A good, solid, interesting summary of the development of a highly esteemed Atlanta neighborhood.

[Blake Watkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book as a birthday present and I was really not that excited about it. I lived in Druid Hills for a while so I thought I'd give it a try. When I read it I was extremely impressed with how the author is able to make some pretty boring stuff really interesting. I liked the little anecdotal stories that seemed to pop up every time I was getting a little bored. The story about Asa Candler's son having a zoo on Briarcliff was wonderfully written and totally captured my imagination. I felt like I was there. I was also impressed with the amount of research Mr. Hartle did for this work. All in all a superb read if you're even somewhat interested in Atlanta history