Mercy Housing Southeast is proud to be part of an important partnership to redevelop a 1950s-era apartment complex in the historic Old Fourth Ward, one of Atlanta’s fastest gentrifying neighborhoods where increasing property values risk forcing long-time residents out of their homes. Built in 1951, the existing 58 uninsulated cinderblock apartments will be replaced with 76 newly constructed, energy-efficient apartment homes in a mixed-use development that will also include a grocery store or other retail to the property.

Henderson Place has been owned since 1995 by the Historic District Development Corporation (HDDC), Atlanta’s oldest surviving community development organization, dedicated to preserving the availability of affordable housing in historic neighborhoods surrounding Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthplace, Ebenezer Baptist Church, where both MLK Sr. and Jr. preached, and the King Center for Social Change.  It was founded in 1980 by Coretta Scott King and other champions of the civil rights movement.

HDDC and Mercy Housing Southeast understand how vital affordable housing is for the Old Fourth Ward. The redevelopment plan includes relocation funding for residents and a guarantee that they can return to the new Henderson Place at a rental rate they can afford.

Construction is set to begin this month and is expected to conclude in early 2025.

The History of Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward