Roosevelt Hall Historical Marker Dedication Ceremony

Regional Administrator José Alvarez with Mayor Andre Dickens in front of the University Homes placard at the Historical Marker Dedication Ceremony.

On October 11th, 2022, Regional Administrator Jose Alvarez was acknowledged by Atlanta Housing CEO Eugene Jones at the Historical Marker Dedication Ceremony hosted by Atlanta Housing, the Georgia Historical Society, and Emory University's Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, & Rare Book Library. Elected officials, federal staff, and local community leaders joined together to participate in the memorable ceremony that took place at the former University Homes site at Roosevelt Hall. This site is one of the pioneering public housing developments that opened in the 1930s and was the first federally funded public housing development for African Americans in the United States.

As this property is a part of the Choice Neighborhood Implementation grant, HUD has stayed committed to its revitalization. In 2010, Atlanta Housing was awarded a Choice Neighborhoods Planning grant to develop a Neighborhood Transformation Plan (NTP) for redevelopment of the former University Homes site and three surrounding neighborhoods in the city's Westside: Vine City, Ashview Heights and the Atlanta University Center neighborhood, collectively known as the University Choice Neighborhood (UCN). This planning grant culminated into HUD awarding Atlanta Housing and the City of Atlanta a $30 million Choice Neighborhood grant in 2015 to redevelop the former University Homes public housing site.

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