eyesore my ass.
so yes, the ajc ran a recent ad on the revitalization of dekalb avenue. it was pretty standard stuff, increased tax base, changing demographics, but it did contain this interesting paragraph:
t’s a stark contrast to the graffiti-covered train trestle at DeKalb Avenue and Krog Street, just a few hundred feet away from 626. Such sights once were common along the mostly industrial thoroughfare, which runs parallel to two rail lines. But as condos and apartments go up, slowly the graffiti and other eyesores are disappearing.
eyesore? huh?
i’ll agree with daily loaf’s mara shaloup who wrote:
Personally, I love the rust and the grit, the imperfections and pure urban-ness of DeKalb Avenue — and the Krog Street tunnel in particular. When I was a teenager exploring the city, such a welcome reprieve from the soulless burbs, it was my favorite stretch of road. I’d hate to see it morph into a replica of the East Cobb homogeny from which I tried to escape.
and i also agree with frequently commenter abby, who suggested this via suggest a story and wrote:
I think most of the people around think it’s amazing — and I, for one, am happy that it adds some character and interest in my (granted, already character-y and interesting) neighborhood. The tunnel they need to clean up is the next one over, Boulevard going underneath Lenny’s. Human feces, decaying garbage, and people smoking crack in the stairwell at 3pm = eyesore that needs to be “cleaned up.” A relatively well-lit tunnel with outstanding (sometimes for humor content, sometimes for artistic ability) and informative (i look to the bridge for the events metblogs may forget to tell me about) graffiti = landmark that should be continued.
obviously the ajc reporter is not from our ‘hood. seriously, things like the krog street bridge are the whole reason people are moving to the east i-20 corridor neighborhoods.
i remember the first time i drove under that bridge. i thought, this is the place for me. this is a place where bands play and people paint and an old 1913 bridge becomes a social icon. i like to go home on krog street, just because the bridge reminds me of everything i love about my hood.
and i am hoping the people buying glitzy new condos on dekalb avenue feel the same.
or are mara, abby and i all off base?
I Love the Krog St tunnel — although where I come from (Chicago) we would call that a viaduct. Actually I love the industrial corridor right there. I’ve always liked living by warehouses. I don’t really dig tagging but some of the graffiti art in there is fab. I loved Robert Mitchum smoking a doobie. And when the Adult Swim “graffiti” was defaced in about 3 hours for being too commercial. That place is a landmark not an eyesore.
I had the same reaction when I read this last week (y’all get your AJCs a little late??), and I agree with you 100%. Krog Street is a treasure, and I also route myself to and from work through it on purpose.
Even more troubling to me is the fact that the appeal of DeKalb Ave as put forth in the piece is nothing more than new condos near the chain stores at Edgewood Retail District. Even putting aside questions of taste as it regards Krog, no mention of proximity to Inman Park, Cabbagetown, Little 5 or any of the actual “Atlanta things” that make our neighborhoods appealing.
I guess East Cobb is getting full …
Abby is correct – I’d feel much safer sleeping in the Krog tunnel than I do walking in the stairwell @ blvd. and dekalb ave. I’m of the opinion that if dekalb ave (or memorial dr.) could become ‘as nice as ponce’ it would be a very very good thing for the surrounding neighborhoods.
This article doesn’t surprise me. I mean, this is the same newspaper that had Red Lobster listed as one of the finalists for the “Best Seafood” category in the “Best of the Big A” contest. See for yourself:
http://www.accessatlanta.com/bestof/content/bestof/2007/winnersindex.html
and pappadeaux’s…..nice.
to me the krog street is street art — a higher form of grafitti, if you will. much of what’s there is stylish, high quality stuff, not the same simple gang scribbling you see in say, gwinnett.
but to most suburban folks graf = a bad thing.
Exactly Tiffany. Dekalb avenue is probably one of the better showcases of graffiti as an art form in the city. The railroad fence is another good example.
I do have to say though that I was just a little perturbed by the fact that before that new condo building right next to the bridge opened, the back wall was tagged. Then again, I see the building itself as more of an indicator of neighborhood deterioration than the graffiti.
Until we stop spending our $$$ at places like Edgewood and Howell Mill District the suburbanization and homogenization of intown Atlanta will continue. It is happening in Major cities everywhere. Beloved local shops are going out of business. Wal-Marts and Targets are moving in. Ikea put the Futon Shop in L5Ps out of business in like a month! How long do you think it will be before some “concerned citizen” speaks out against the Krog St Tunnel! I’m sure something objectionable is on those walls, and it is public space. I’m all for moving drugs and crime out of our city, but not heart and soul. That is too high a price to pay. Viva La Atlanta!