Odd Fellows Building And Auditorium
The Odd Fellows Building and Auditorium are closely linked with Benjamin Jefferson Davis, Sr. (1870–1945), Atlanta's most influential black journalist, who edited the Atlanta Independent, the official organ of District No. 18. He was District Grand Secretary and a member of the Building Committee when they were built.
The Odd Fellows Building, called the Tower, is six stories high while the Auditorium next door, called the Annex, is two stories with an atrium that adds another two or three stories in height. Both are built of redbrick except for the first floor of the Tower which is stone. The Annex was used for many years as a movie house and was the only major venue in Atlanta where blacks could be seated on the main floor. In addition to providing meeting and office space for the Odd Fellows, the Tower provided office and store space for black-owned businesses and black professionals. Its flat roof was used for dances for many years.
On May 2, 1975, both buildings were added to the National Register of Historic Places.
See also
- Herndon Building, formerly located across the street
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Fulton County, Georgia
- List of Odd Fellows buildings
- Odd Fellows Hall (disambiguation)
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
- ^ National Park Service MLK Historic Resource Study: Auburn Avenue Development
- ^ Waymark listing for Odd Fellows Building and Auditorium
- ^ Sweet Auburn Avenue article on Odd Fellows Building and Auditorium
- ^ National Register listings for Fulton County
External links
- HABS Historic American Buildings Survey listing
- The Odd Fellows Buildings, Atlanta, History, theoddfellowsbuildings.com
- Black Fraternal Orders Archived 2008-05-13 at the Wayback Machine from ChickenBones: A Journal for Literary & Artistic African-American Themes, www.nathanielturner.com