December, 1969. Pilot's eye view of Atlanta Municipal Airport's newly completed main runway. AJC/Ken Patterson
I'm obsessed with this old photo of "Atlanta Municipal Airport." Look at all the houses between the runways! I think that residential peninsula on the left is part of College Park. It's hard to recognize Atlanta before the interstates. Can anyone help explain what I'm looking at here?
You can see I-85 there... not the I-85 we know today, but that's it. It's the main road just north of the airport, with cloverleafs coming off of it. I think the sharp left turn at the top is where it meets up with I-75.
Posted by: hakeber | February 25, 2010 at 09:29 AM
Great photo! This is looking north and I-85 runs diagonally across the top/left. The neighborhood between the runways on the left is now the site of the main terminals.
Posted by: David Henderson | February 28, 2010 at 01:35 AM
Thanks y'all! If that's I-85, then the road running parallel on the left must be Hwy 29, Main Street.
The old airport, though small, had a cool shape.
It makes me sad that all those neighborhoods are under the tarmac now...
Posted by: Hannah Palmer | March 01, 2010 at 01:25 PM
Are you sure about the year?
Posted by: KL | March 25, 2010 at 05:07 PM
This would've been December 1964 when the 2nd parallel runway in the foreground was opened.
Posted by: David Henderson | March 27, 2010 at 11:25 AM
It is probably a month or two before December 1964. In this *great* photo, then-new Runway 9R-27L (which is now designated 9L-27R) is substantially complete, but it has numerous vehicles parked along its length, and there are no tire rubber marks yet. November 1964 is a very good estimate.
You can alos clearly see the "X" of the two former crosswind runways. 15-33 was just under 9000' long and was used by many jets. It closed in 1978. 3-21 was just under 7000' long and was the least essential. It closed in 1974, if my memory is correct.
Posted by: David Kaufman | March 30, 2010 at 12:54 AM
Ah yes, I didn't notice those vehicles on the runway. Thanks!
Posted by: David Henderson | March 30, 2010 at 09:33 AM
wow, I never questioned the date. Sounds like you guys have it nailed. I found the photo and caption in the AJC archives, but surely it's an error. Time to do some more digging!
Posted by: Hannah Palmer | March 31, 2010 at 08:21 AM
The photo of the airport in 1969 shows my old neighborhood. The street closet to to the airport was Sheryl Lane. The one in the middle is Bell St. and the one on the top perimeter of the pix is Washington St.
Brings back old memories.
Posted by: Perry Raines | August 17, 2010 at 11:29 AM
Perry– thanks so much for naming those streets. My grandparents rented a house on Bell Street in College Park before moving to Forest Park. I never thought of showing them this photo, but now I will. I would love to find more old photos of this neighborhood...
Posted by: Hannah Palmer | August 17, 2010 at 11:58 AM
David, November 1964 is correct. A few months after that all the houses were bought and razed to the ground. For years it was a great blue light parking spot.
Posted by: Perry Raines | August 18, 2010 at 09:56 AM
I too lived in that neighborhood in College Park. Perry Raines named some of the streets. I lived at 200 Lamar drive. There
was a McDanieland Inell streets that also ran off E.Washington.
I am in real estate and I went to the Clayton County courthouse and got my parents warranty deed of that property. It lay in the 7th district, land lot 13. Go to a new map and look up that district & land lot and you will be able to place it today. (between
the s. terminal & parking deck)
Go to Facebook " Maple Street Elementry School" page and there are pictures of old homes in the area and alsoold maps there that will put it together for you like a puzzle.
My dad worked for Delta and we moved in 1960 before the buyout. I lived there from '53-60.
Hope you will enjoy the FB page. THANK YOU so much for posting this picture.
Pat Turner
Posted by: Pat Turner | November 17, 2010 at 01:49 AM