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Herndon Office Building
231-245 Auburn Avenue
Sweet Auburn Historic District, Atlanta, Georgia
Built: 1924 - the 2H4 on the front of the building stands for Herndon and year of completion.
Designer & Financier: Alonzo Herndon
Original Use: The building has approximately 60 offices, 6 storefronts and a hotel section. Salvaged materials were used in the interior.
Re-adaptive Use: The building is boarded up and awaiting renovation.
This building was constructed by Alonzo Herndon, the founder of the Atlanta Life Insurance Company, as an office structure to compete with the Odd Fellows office complex across the street built by black millionaire Benjamin J. Davis. The Herndon building is one of the most imposing edifices in the Auburn Commercial District (albeit quite deteriorated in 2002). Businesses and organizations housed in the building have included the NAACP offices, The Savoy Hotel, Galanti Brothers Delicatessen, The Atlanta Urban League and many of Atlanta's black physicians.
Herndon built a gas station on the east side of the building facing Auburn Avenue anticipating the automobile age. This now functions as a police precinct station.
Recorded dates:
Late 1920's to 1964 - In 1913 The Atlanta Neighborhood Union, founded by Mrs. Lugenia Burns Hope, became
affiliated with the National Urban League to enable concentrated activity in the given realms of
social work. From the 1920's to 1965 this organization was located in the Herndon Building.
1925 to 1935 - The Atlanta School of Social Work was located in the Herndon building. In 1919 Urban League activities
in the area created a dire need for social workers and the Atlanta School of Social Work was
established the following year. In the 1930's the school moved to the Atlanta University Center
Complex.
1930 to1970 - Dr. Homer Nash was located in the building.
1960 to 1970 - B.B. Bearmons Restaurant was located in the building.
1960 to 1970 - John Calhoun, an important business man on the avenue, had his furniture store in the building.