The Villages of Castleberry Hill in Atlanta in Fulton County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)

University Homes

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 11, 2023

1. University Homes Marker

Inscription. At this site stood University Homes. Conceptualized by Atlanta University President John Hope, the 675-unit development replaced the overcrowded Beaver Slide neighborhood near the newly formed Atlanta University Center. Simultaneously, developer Charles Palmer sought to raze the Tech Flats neighborhood near his midtown properties. Palmer and Hope applied separately for funding from the federal Public Works Administration (PWA), created to encourage economic recovery during the Great Depression. In 1933, the PWA funded the construction of University Homes for Black Atlantans and Techwood Homes for White Atlantans, the nation's first federally funded housing projects. Completed in 1937 and 1936, respectively, the projects led to the Atlanta Housing Authority's creation in 1938. University Homes provided housing for the community until its demolition in 2009 as part of a Housing and Urban Development plan. Only Roosevelt Hall remains.

Erected 2022 by Georgia Historical Society • Emory University's Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, & Rare Book Library • Atlanta Housing Authority. (Marker Number 60-31b.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Charity & Public Work

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• Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Georgia Historical Society series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1933.

Location. 33° 44.956′ N, 84° 24.57′ W. Marker is in Atlanta, Georgia, in Fulton County. It is in The Villages of Castleberry Hill. It is at the intersection of Atlanta Student Movement Boulevard and Elm Street Southwest, on the right when traveling east on Atlanta Student Movement Boulevard. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 660 Atlanta Student Movement Blvd, Atlanta GA 30314, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Georgia’s Piedmont.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: An Appeal for Human Rights (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Atlanta Student Movement (approx. 0.2 miles away); Atlanta Student Movement Planned (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named Atlanta Student Movement (approx. 0.2 miles away); Rush Memorial Congregational Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); Lugenia Burns Hope (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Herndon Home (approx. half a mile away); Booker T. Washington High School (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Atlanta.

Also see . . .
1. History of University Homes. University Homes was the first federally funded

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 11, 2023

2. University Homes Marker

The marker is in front of Roosevelt Hall, the only University Homes building still standing.

public housing project in the United States for African American families. Located at 668 Fair St. SW, it had 675 family units. (Choice Atlanta) (Submitted on July 3, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

2. University Homes: Building Communities, Building Hope. This Atlanta Housing Archives Virtual Exhibit presents the history, in words and pictures, of the first federally funded public housing for African-Americans in the Unites States. (Submitted on July 3, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

University Homes image. Click for full size.

Historic American Building Survey via Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division (Public Domain), 1961

3. University Homes

The complex as seen from the roof of the community building.

Historic American Building Survey via Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division (Public Domain), 1961

4. University Homes

One of the complex's buildings on Spelman Lane.

Credits. This page was last revised on July 1, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 3, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 1,098 times since then and 68 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on July 3, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.