Chastain Park Homes

 

Neighborhood Info. Chastain Park is the largest park and one of the most popular parks in the city of Atlanta, used for a variety of recreational and cultural activities. It is the centerpiece of the vision of former County Commissioner Troy Chastain for the development of North Fulton County in the early 1940’s. It was through the efforts of Chastain, his fellow commissioners and local business leaders that the Park was created and it remains very similar to the purpose envisioned more than 50 years ago.

Originally named North Fulton Park, Chastain Park was dedicated to the memory of Troy Green Chastain on September 25, 1946. Chastain was a member of the Fulton County Commission from 1938 to 1942 when the majority of the Park was developed. Chastain Park came under the ownership of the city of Atlanta as part of the 1952 Plan of Improvement, annexing much of North Fulton County into the city limits. From 1946 to 1952, the Park did not change significantly, however, from 1984 to the present, several major changes have occurred prompted by the 1984 Master Plan. These changes are mentioned in this section and in the recommendation section of the Master Plan Update

Creek Indians once lived in the floodplain of Nancy Creek and farmed the area, which is now known as the North Fulton Golf Course. Just south of Wieuca Road where the ball fields are located was the site of the Creek Indian Village. Over the years the floodplain in this area has been filled in more than ten feet. The State Archeologist believes remains of an ancient Indian village exists below the fill.

Chronicled history of the site begins with the sale of property to Rene C. Pettit of Henry County on January 21, 1822, in a land lottery for eighteen dollars. Another section of the property was bought by William Baxter on December 26, 1826 in the same land lottery for eighteen dollars. All of the property was originally part of Henry County, which became DeKalb County in 1840. DeKalb County records of the property were lost in a fire at the Courthouse and in 1854 Thomas P. Far, Trustee, bought 220 acres of the property selling 39 acres in 1878 to Washington P. Johnson and 300 acres to B.L. Hope.

Fulton County acquired the property at the turn of the century. The original parcel was approximately 1000 acres. Fulton County planned to use the property to build a new almshouse for the county poor. In 1909 the County constructed the two almshouses on Wieuca Road. Morgan and Dillon, an Atlanta architectural firm, designed the neo-classical revival buildings.

The white almshouse was designed to accommodate a maximum of 145 residents and the black almshouse was designed for a maximum of 85 residents. During the Depression, the facilities were operating at more than capacity. There were no other nursing homes, and as many as 200 individuals were housed in the white almshouse.

A dirt road led south to the Almshouse Cemetery on Lake Forest Road at approximately the third hole of the present day golf course. No record of this cemetery being removed from the site has ever been found. In 1936, the Fulton County Commission changed the name of the facilities to Haven Home. The almshouses remained in use until 1952 and were designated locally significant by Mayor Maynard Jackson and the Atlanta City Council in 1981. The brick structure currently houses Galloway School and the frame building the Chastain Arts and Crafts Center.

Chastain Park currently totals 268 acres. The remainder of the original approximate 1000 acres was sold for development in the 1940’s. To encourage residential development in North Fulton, the County Commission decided to provide a major recreation facility on the farmland. Many of the current facilities including the pool, bathhouse, stables, picnic areas and lakes were built under their direction in the 1940’s by the WPA and labor from the prison farm.

Troy Chastain was a major force in developing the Park facilities including the 18-hole North Fulton Golf Course on the farmland south of the Almshouses. The course was designed by Walter Hagan in collaboration with Bobby Jones in 1942.

The County started constructing the course in 1943 with a combination of WPA labor and labor from a temporary prison farm located in the general ball field area. In 1948, the course was the site of the National Public Links Golf Tournament; an important occasion since it was the first time the event was held in the South. The original golf clubhouse is now the women’s clubhouse. The main clubhouse was built in 1947 for the Public Links Tournament.

Chastain and others were determined that the North Fulton Park would be a showplace for recreation facilities. The tennis center was built and at the time said to rival the courts at Jekyll Island in quality and class with a total of 9 courts. The swimming pool is an Olympic-size facility where many swimming meets have been held through the years. In the early years, teams came from as far away as Havana, Cuba to compete. The pool had one of the first filter systems in Atlanta. Pool water was originally pumped from the man-made lake north of the pool. The bathhouse was built with the pool and has undergone many renovations over the years.

Much of the decorative stonework in the picnic area north of Wieuca Road was built in the early 1940’s. William L. Monroe, Sr., owner of Monroe Landscaping, was on retainer to the County to supervise construction of the grills and walls that remain in the picnic area and the construction of the amphitheater. This stonework is significant because it represents an outstanding example of quality stone masonry. WPA and prison labor constructed the stonework under Mr. Monroe’s supervision.

Chastain was interested in building an amphitheater in the Park. Thomas P. Glen, then President of the Trust Co. Bank, paid the expenses for the Commissioners Chastain and Charlie Brow and Judge Eugene Gunby to visit amphitheater facilities in Richmond, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Daytona, Louisville and Chicago. The Chastain amphitheater is built in a natural bowl area and its design is similar to the facility in Richmond visited by the Atlanta group. The amphitheater opened on June 20, 1944.

The riding stables were built in 1945 to house horses for the polo fields along West Wieuca Road. These stables were built as a result of an ongoing rivalry between differing factions that stabled their horses across Powers Ferry Road. Those stables were converted to the Red Barn Restaurant in the 1950’s. Local residents around the Park kept their horses at one of the two stables. Bridle paths meandered through the Park and surrounding rolling hills.

The center ring was developed as one of the largest and best facilities for horse shows in the state. On these occasions attendees would camp in the Park. An annual event was the Thanksgiving Breakfast and Ride hosted by the Fulton County Commission from the late 1940’s until 1955 when the original crowd of 25 grew to 300. The polo field was located south of West Wieuca Road and was later developed into ball fields in 1952.

In the late 1990’s, Chastain Horse Park, Ltd. (CHP) was formed as a 501©(3) organization to lease, renovate and operate the property. The organization entered into a lease agreement in 1997 for 20 years. CHP has recently competed a $4 million development of the facility. The improvements included removal of existing structures, that couldn’t be salvaged, and the construction of six new buildings, fencing the entire site, constructing a new retention pond, placing overhead utilities underground, new sanitary and storm systems, several retaining walls and a new parking lot. CHP offers the following programs:

• Therapeutic Riding Program for individuals with disabilities that is certified by the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association
• Community Outreach Program for disadvantaged inner-city children
• School Lesson Program offers hunter/jumper riding lessons to the general public
• Summer Camp is offered two to three weeks each summer
• Horse Boarding

Galloway School now occupies the white almshouse. This historic structure is in sound structural condition. The neo-classical revival building is built in a characteristic horseshoe shape with a center courtyard. The building is considered by the City to be “historically significant” and is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.

The almshouse building and eight acres were retained by Fulton County when the city annexed the Park and surrounding area in 1952. Galloway School, a private school offering classes from pre-first kindergarten through the twelfth grade, leased the building and grounds from the County in 1965. The Galloway School acquired the property from Fulton County in 1988 for new buildings and expansion of its campus. The Galloway School has made a number of improvements including renovations to the almshouse pool house and the grounds.

The Fulton County black almshouse was built in 1909. This white frame building is also in the classical revival tradition and features a covered portico around its L-shape layout. The black almshouse continued to operate until 1968, when it was sold to the City of Atlanta. Shortly thereafter, the Chastain Arts Center began operating under the Department of Parks and Recreation. A new pottery wing and additional structural renovations to the roof and porches were made in 1978. Another renovation effort in the late 1980’s created a professional gallery space in the old prisoner/caretaker quarters. This building is also considered “historically significant” and eligible for the National Register of Historical Places. Continued maintenance is very important due to the age of the structure and to preserve its wood frame construction.  

The gym was completed in 1972 and is the only major recent addition to the Park. The structure is in good condition having recently undergone extensive roof repairs. Facilities include a weight room, gymnasium/basketball court, locker rooms and one handball/racquetball court and office. The building was partially funded by contributions from the Northside Youth Organization (NYO).

Robert E. Blackwell founded the NYO in the fall of 1951 and in 1958 moved the program to Bagley Park. In that same year, the program was incorporated under the Northside Youth Organization, Inc. Coach Blackwell served as Athletic Director and sole head of the program until 1961 when a board of directors was organized and the first NYO president, Woody Wisdom, was elected.

In 1966, NYO moved to Chastain Park, and by this time, the football program was serving over 700 players and cheerleaders. In the late 1960’s, baseball was added and the ball games were played on a field behind St. John United Methodist Church. In 1974, Dowis Field House was built and the field in Chastain Park was renovated. In 1984 the NYO playfields consisted of two baseball fields, two softball fields, one soccer field and one football field. Press boxes, concession building, restrooms and parking were also a part of the facility. All of these buildings have suffered extensive damage from weather and vandalism.

In 2001 NYO began a renovation of the facility at Chastain and has invested over 1 million in privately raised funds to improve these facilities and to enhance the safety and playing experience for the children it serves.

Improvements include the addition of 3 shaded picnic areas/pavilions, used by neighbors and area businesses on a year-round basis; the re-orientation of most of the baseball and softball fields, better utilization of the site and playing surfaces within the park; re-grading of the fields to enhance drainage and the addition of a paved commons area, for people to gather and meet.

The NYO facility and Chastain currently have 4 fields for softball and 7 fields for baseball. In the fall, NYO uses 3 fields for football, by converting some of the baseball and softball fields. In the winter, NYO operates a basketball program out of the Chastain gym.

The NYO fields are also used, as an organized, scheduled activity, by the Galloway baseball and softball teams; the Sutton Middle School baseball team; and a variety of adult softball leagues. On an unscheduled and unorganized basis, the fields are used for adult volleyball and soccer games.

The bathhouse was constructed in 1942 and has been reasonably well-maintained over the years. A new roof was installed in the late 1970’s and the structure has undergone several renovations over the years. The 50-yard Olympic pool was built as a competition facility. Originally, it operated on a fill and draw system from the one-acre lake above it. The pool had the first pool filter system installed in Atlanta. The pool has also been extensively renovated over the years. A new filter system was installed in 1972 and a new concrete deck was installed in 1982. Along with the new decking, the utility lines under the deck were replaced as necessary. Because of the pool’s age, some problems exist with utility connections under the pool structure making extensive renovation to the shell necessary in the next five years. Today the Galloway School leases and maintains part of the bathhouse and in 2002, the North American Swim Association (NASA) agreed to lease and operate the pool and its facilities for the community.

The original tennis center building was destroyed by fire and replaced in 1979. The new facility includes equipment sales, locker rooms, restrooms, offices and a small concession area. The building was repainted in 2002. The nine courts built as part of the original Park in the early 1940’s have been modernized over the years and were recently resurfaced.

This manufactured building was built in 1971 by the Theater Under the Stars, which at the time performed in the amphitheater. It was constructed to house stage equipment. Since that time, the company changed their name to Theater Of The Stars (TOTS) and now performs in the Atlanta Civic Center in Downtown Atlanta. TOTS is no longer using the structure, and the building appears to be empty. The structure is located on a plateau north of West Wieuca where Troy Chastain’s cabin was once located.

Today’s Park remains true to Troy Chastain’s vision and is a tribute to his foresight. Chastain suffered a heart attack in 1942 and died three years later on August 25, 1945. The Fulton County Commission voted to name the Park in his honor and officially dedicated it in September 1946. Throughout the development no formal master plan or design was ever executed. Mr. Chastain is remembered as saying he was “imagining” what this park would look like. The Park essentially was developed as Troy Chastain imagined. The only major additions to the Park since his death are the ball fields in 1952, the gymnasium in 1972 and the PATH system built in 1995 and expanded in 1998.

 

Chastain Park Ammenities

 

Amphitheatre                 Art Center   Ball Fields       Galloway School       Golf       Horse Park       Playground   Pool         Recreation Center     Tennis     Trail

Peter Conlon, 404-233-8889, peterconlon@clearchannel.com   Ruthie Marshall, 404-233-8889, ruthiemarshall@livenation.com   Rudi Schlegel, 404-733-4886, rudi.schlegel@woodruffcenter.org   V P of Presentations for Classic Chastain with Atlanta Symphony Orchestra   Peter Brusa, 404-733-4996, peter.brusa@woodruffcenter.org,     Marketing Director for Classic Chastain with Atlanta Symphony Orchestra   www.classicchastain.com        Erin Bailey, 404-252-2927, ebailey@atlantaga.gov        NYO (Northside Youth Organization)   Mark Elliot, 404-885-3603, mark.elliot@troutmansanders.com   Jane Wilkins, 404-256-8389     Carolyn Barnwell, 404-252-8389, c.barnwell@gallowayschool.org   Elliot Galloway, 404-252-8389, e.galloway@gallowayschool.org   www.gallowayschool.org     North Fulton Golf Course (American Golf)   King Simmons, 404-255-0723   www.northfulton@americangolf.com     Mandy Branton  executive director, 404-252-4244, ext. 27,     mbranton@chastainhorsepark.org           CPAC (Chastain Park Athletic Club)   Jim King, 404-841-9196, info@ChastainParkAC.org   Caroline King, 404-841-0076, carolineking@mindspring.com   www.ChastainParkAthleticClub.org     140 W. Wieuca Road, 404-851-1273   Special Features: Gymnasium, Weight Room, Basketball, Table Tennis     110 W. Wieuca Road, 404-255-3210, plj52002@yahoo.com   Peggy Johnson, Supervisor     PATH (Building Metro Atlanta's Greenway Trail System)   Pete Pelligrini, 404-875-7284, pete@pathfoundation.org   Ed MacBrayer, edwin@pathfoundation.org   www.pathfoundation.org

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