In June 1892, Grady Memorial Hospital, Atlanta’s first public hospital, opened its doors to serve as a segregated medical center for the city’s residents.

To address the growing concern of quality health care for Atlanta’s poor, Henry Grady had the vision to create a hospital owned and operated by the city to provide services to all Atlanta citizens.

The hospital became well-known throughout Georgia and the United States during the 1920s after a Grady physician performed Georgia’s first open-heart surgery in 1921, and in 1923, it opened the world’s first and largest comprehensive cancer center, the Steiner Clinic.

– Haley Haas, SPR Atlanta

In 1838, Henry Irby purchased over 202 acres of land to establish a tavern for travelers located at the present-day intersection of Peachtree, Roswell and West Paces Ferry roads. The sparsely populated community was known as Irbyville until Irby mounted a large “buck head” on the wall of his tavern, changing the community’s name forever.

It wasn’t until the beginning of the 1900s the area saw a significant population growth spurred from major commercial development around the area, including The Buckhead Theatre, Jacobs’ Drugstore and Kamper’s Grocery.

In 1952, the Buckhead community was annexed into the City of Atlanta.

– Haley Haas, SPR Atlanta

In the summer, Atlantans flock to the nearest body of water to take refuge from the heat. Back in the day, that place was Lake Abana.

Beginning in the 1880s, Grant Park was home to a popular lake comprised of several mineral springs expanding over six acres of land. In 1886, a crowd of over 10,000 people came to watch performer Professor Leon tightrope-walk across Lake Abana, while his wife performed a sewing exhibition on a 50-foot-high platform.

In the 1960s, the lake was drained to build a parking lot for the neighboring Grant Park zoo.

– Haley Haas, SPR Atlanta

What began as a deli located on the street-level floor of an Atkins Park home built in 1910 is Atlanta’s oldest continuously licensed tavern.

Atkins Park Tavern, celebrating its 95th anniversary, is known for its good food, better beer and rich history. Originally opened as a delicatessen in 1922, the smart-casual restaurant mysteriously received its liquor license in 1927, six years before Prohibition ended in 1933.

In 1983, the same year he founded the Virginia-Highland Summerfest, the late Warren Bruno purchased Atkins Park and transformed the restaurant into a popular hot spot of the Virginia-Highland area.

– Haley Haas, SPR Atlanta

Developed in the early 1900s, Virginia-Highland is made up of four distinct districts known for its tree-lined streets, charming sidewalk cafes and historic bungalow homes.

The Virginia-Highland area grew in popularity as the Nine Mile Trolley formed, linking the neighborhood with areas around the city and becoming a hot spot for workers looking to escape the city life. In the late 1950s, Virginia-Highland suffered when middle-class families left the neighborhood to live in areas outside the city.

It was not until the 1970s that families started moving back to the area, revitalizing the neglected neighborhood.

– Haley Haas, SPR Atlanta

At the southwest exit of the Peachtree Center MARTA Station in Downtown Atlanta lies two granite stones, one saying “This is the house that Jack built.” But who’s Jack?

Jasper “Jack” Newton Smith, 1833-1918, was a brickyard owner, real estate developer and known around the city as “Atlanta’s quaintest character.” He is best known for constructing a commercial building at the intersection of Forsyth and Peachtree streets made out of cast-off blocks of granite and referred to as “the house that Jack built.”

Smith’s infamous granite mausoleum and statue can be found at the entrance of Oakland Cemetery.

– Haley Haas, SPR Atlanta

The Flatiron Building, an 11-story triangle-shaped building barely noticeable in Atlanta’s skyline, is one of the oldest skyscrapers in the city.

Constructed in 1897 and designed by Bradford Gilbert, the English-American Building, later named the Flatiron Building, was the second skyscraper built in Atlanta. Sitting at the intersection of Peachtree and Broad Street across from Woodruff Park, the building was once home to businesses such as Otis Brothers & Company, Mutual Life Insurance Co. and National Cash Register Co.

After being sold for $2 million in 2014, the building was remodeled into FlatironCity, an entrepreneurship and innovation hub.

– Haley Haas, SPR Atlanta

During the Great Depression, life was hard for everyone, and Vernon Rudolph was no exception. But at least he had a job helping his Kentucky uncle run his store.

Like many rural general stores, it featured numerous products, including a unique-tasting doughnut made from a secret New Orleans yeast recipe. The uncle wanted Vernon to sell the doughnuts door-to-door. But, Vernon had other ideas.

Along with two partners, Vernon settled in his wife’s hometown of Winston-Salem. He first sold doughnuts out of a 1936 Pontiac and then opened his first store.

He called it Krispy Kreme.

– Ron Smith, The North Carolina 100

In 1883, Lemuel P. Grant, a founding father of Atlanta, gave the city 100 acres under the stipulation that “the land should be used for park purposes for all Atlantans.” Over 130 years later, Grant Park is Atlanta’s oldest city park.

Located in Atlanta’s largest historic district, the park’s popularity stems from the addition of Zoo Atlanta in 1889 and the Atlanta Cyclorama (recently relocated) in 1893. The 131.5-acre urban green space designed by Olmsted landscape architects draws over two million visitors each year to its attractions like annual festivals, the Recreation Center, pool, playgrounds, and picnic pavilions.

– Haley Haas, SPR Atlanta

SPR Atlanta’s office is located at Puritan Mill and until recently I was unaware of the building’s long history.

The two buildings were constructed in 1921 to be the Atlanta-based headquarters for the Puritan Chemical Company. The company, known for creating Puritan soap and cleaning products, used the space to operate, manufacture and store its products until they were ready for shipment on the neighboring Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. In 2001, the buildings were converted into mixed-use space.

Last month, Origin Investments purchased ownership of Puritan Mill, creating a joint venture with existing owners, Urban Realty Partners.

– Haley Haas, SPR Atlanta

Grab your baseball hats, salted peanuts and foam tomahawks because next week is the home opener for the Atlanta Braves – the oldest continuously operating sports franchise in America.

The franchise is the only one of 30 Major League franchises to have fielded a team every season since the start of professional baseball. Beginning in 1871 as the Boston Red Stockings, the team changed its name to the Braves in 1912. After losing fan support to the Red Sox, the Braves moved to Milwaukee. In 1966, the team arrived in Atlanta.

The Braves won their first World Series title in 1995.

– Haley Haas, SPR Atlanta

The 1895 Cotton States and International Exposition was a turning point for Atlanta history and the Negro Building is to thank. The Exposition received federal funding of $200,000 on the condition the Negro Building was constructed, part of Atlanta’s post-war rebranding efforts.

Located at the then Jackson Street entrance to Piedmont Park, the Negro Building opened October 21, 1895, as the first designated space showcasing African-American achievements since the Emancipation Proclamation. The building housed exhibitions made by African-American students and local businesspeople, and was used as a gathering place for discussions on the civil rights movement.

– Haley Haas, SPR Atlanta

March 15 isn’t a famous day in history, but for Atlanta’s radio industry, it’s a birthday celebration of sorts.

That day in 1922, WSB Radio became the South’s first radio station when it transmitted the sounds of “Light Cavalry Overture” to listeners on about 1,000 radio receivers in the Atlanta area. WSB – soon nicknamed “the Voice of the South” – played its inaugural broadcast from its original headquarters in the Atlanta Journal building.

The station’s first general manager and on-air personality, Lambdin Key, used a xylophone to create the famous three-note chime, which is still in use today.

– Haley Haas, SPR Atlanta

I’ve lived in Dunwoody since the day I was born but was unaware of my city’s vast history.

Some of Dunwoody’s early inhabitants were members of the Cherokee Indian tribe because of its proximity to the Chattahoochee River. The area grew into a crossroads for a major railroad line that supplied much-needed mill products during the Civil War. The line was later destroyed. The area is also home to the Atlanta area’s oldest building, Ebenezer Primitive Baptist Church, and is celebrity host Ryan Seacrest’s hometown.

In 2008, Dunwoody officially became recognized as a city following a community-led movement.

– Haley Haas, SPR Atlanta

The Kimball House, a Decatur restaurant nestled in an old railroad station, offers more than just fresh oysters and unique cocktails – it offers a look into the past.

The restaurant is a representation of what used to be the “finest hotel in South,” a 500-room hotel that took up close to an entire block in Five Points. Built in 1870, the Kimball House Hotel burned down in 1883 and was rebuilt in 1885. The original hotel was the first in Atlanta to have elevators and central heating.

The building was demolished in 1959 and replaced by a parking deck.

– Haley Haas, SPR Atlanta

Atlanta has a large supply of entertainment venues and The Buckhead Theatre is one of the classics.

Designed by the Daniell and Beutell architecture firm, The Buckhead Theatre opened its doors in June 1930 as a venue for entertainment and civic functions. Located in one of Atlanta’s most popular neighborhoods, the venue is no stranger to controversy. The theater caused a national uproar by playing the racy film “She Done Him Wrong,” which was blocked from downtown Atlanta.

Since revamping in 2010, the theater has been host to major performers like Mumford and Sons, and is available for special events.

– Haley Haas, SPR Atlanta

After 68 years of selling gently used merchandise, the Nearly New Shop, owned by the Junior League of Atlanta, is closing its doors this spring.

The store opened in 1949, and since then has served thousands of customers raising more than $4 million in revenue for non-profits around Atlanta. Each year, over 350 league members work 7,000 hours selling clothing, household items, books and jewelry.

The long history of the store, recognized for being the “Best Vintage Clothing” by INsite Magazine, is a “testament to the dedication of some of its longest-serving League members and loyal customers.”

– Haley Haas, SPR Atlanta

Every day, I pass Northside Tavern. Until recently, I didn’t think much of the small bar nestled on the corner of Howell Mill Road and Brady Avenue. However, I’m now enlightened about the dive bar.

The bar, built in the 1940s as a neighborhood grocery store, eventually evolved into a blues bar. Named as one of the Best Dive Bars in Atlanta, this hole-in-the-wall has been a stage for movies such as Fast & Furious 8 and Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.

If you’re looking for cheap drinks, live music, and great Atlanta history, this is your place.

– Haley Haas, SPR Atlanta

As a young girl from Pelham, Georgia, Virginia Callaway marveled at the magical Christmas light displays during the cherished season.

After co-founding Callaway Gardens, Virginia began dreaming of bringing that magic to the retreat. Her dream became reality in 1992 with Fantasy in Lights, Georgia’s first major holiday light show. It opened humbly with five scenes, originally designed by former Disney Imagineers.

Now among the top 10 light shows in the South, Fantasy in Lights has grown to include more than a dozen scenes and eight million lights that illuminate the many hearts who adore this time of year.

– Madison Tubb, The 100 Companies

A summertime staple, the Chastain Park Amphitheatre is an Atlanta gem that draws top musical acts. Music fans love the setting, where they can wine and dine in a relaxed, lively atmosphere.

Troy Chastain, Fulton County Commissioner, brought the 6,000-seat amphitheater to life in 1944 while developing the North Fulton Park. It was later renamed Chastain Park in his honor following his death two years later. The venue eventually hosted 30,000+ visitors a year.

Numerous performers of different genres such as Stevie Wonder, Steve Martin, String Cheese Incident, Pat Benatar and John Legend have graced the stage.

– Madison Tubb, The 100 Companies

Imagine it’s 1975 — and you’re with friends seated on the floor at the foot of the stage, drinking beer by the bucket, and listening to the great entertainers of the era. Atlantans may recognize this historically iconic spot as The Great Southeast Music Hall.

Located in what was then Broadview Plaza, music lovers gathered in the 535-seat listening room to experience acts as diverse as Jimmy Buffet, B.B. King, and Steve Martin in an up-close setting.

Although the Music Hall closed after seven years, many still boast about their fond musical memories and share them on Facebook.

– Madison Tubb, The 100 Companies