Neighborhood History
The neighborhood of Druid Hills, designed in the early 1900's by famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, is a beautiful community nestled in the heart of Atlanta. The integrity of its historic architecture, sweeping wide open spaces, and the soaring canopy of its mature hardwoods make it a unique intown treasure.
Olmsted's Last Suburb
The area known as Druid Hills was developed by Atlantan Joel Hurt of the Kirkwood Land Company. In 1890 Hurt persuaded Frederick Law Olmsted Sr., who was then working at Biltmore Estate, to travel south to see the 1,500-acre tract he had purchased and prepare a plan for a residential suburb. ​
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Olmsted prepared and submitted a preliminary plan to Hurt in 1893 in which the linear park was first laid out. Unfortunately, Olmsted, Sr. died before the plan was completed. Olmsted’s sons produced a final plan in 1905 and remained involved with the project until 1908, when the property was acquired by the Druid Hills Corporation. This group of investors, which included Coca-Cola magnate Asa G. Candler, completed development of the suburb and park. The majority of the original Druid Hills homes were built in the
1920s.
The original plat map of Druid Hills showcases our Olmsted Linear Park along Ponce de Leon and many of the original streets that are considered quintessential to the neighborhood. In 2022, our neighborhood participated in Olmsted 200, a nationwide series of events celebrating Frederick Law Olmsted's legacy and 200th birthday. As such, all featured properties on our Historic Druid Hills Home & Garden Tour were on streets found on this original plan.
Olmsted envisioned the homeowner returning hot and tired from the city to homes “well shaded by handsome, umbrageous, permanently thrifty trees” in a neighborhood with a “pleasing rural, or, at least, semi-rural, character of scenery . . . to be permanently enjoyed.”
Olmsted's vision for Druid Hills
Influence on Atlanta
Landscape and urban scholars have established that Druid Hills represents a major innovation in suburban design. Its central corridor, Ponce de Leon Avenue, with separated vehicular and pleasure drives, functions as the central promenade of the community. It is a linear version of the traditional village green. Each of Ponce de Leon’s median parks is distinct in its landscaping. The parks range from relatively open greenswards to nearly impenetrable woods.
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Modern development in Druid Hills preserved the environment of parks, streetscapes, and landscapes in the spirit of Olmsted’s original concept. Scholars believe the area fulfills the three major components of his vision of 20th century suburban living:
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a park or public space as the central focus of the suburbs
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a parkway conceived as both a connector and pleasure drive
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residences on large acreages that face the parks and winding streets.
Many well-known Atlanta architects including Neel Reid, Philip Trammel Shutze, Ernest Ivey, and Lewis Crook, Jr., are represented in Druid Hills.
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Through the years, Olmsted’s design for Druid Hills strongly influenced suburban planning throughout Atlanta. Architects who gained experience from working in our neighborhood later shaped Ansley Park, Morningside, Garden Hills, and Avondale Estates. Design elements were emulated in Brookwood Hills and the West Paces Ferry area. More recently, office parks that emphasize green space and natural terrain have harked back to Olmsted. In fact, some scholars maintain that had it not been for Frederick Law Olmsted’s Druid Hills, Atlanta would not be the park-like city it is today.
A fight to keep Druid Hills intact
In the 1980s, Druid Hills and the park were threatened by a proposed freeway, though community opposition eventually blocked its construction. Thanks to historic preservation efforts, the neighborhood and its beautiful linear park remain one of the most picturesque communities in Atlanta.
