Piedmont Avenue (Atlanta)

Piedmont Avenue is a major thoroughfare in

Piedmont Avenue was originally called Calhoun Street. As of 1872, Calhoun Street reached north to Seventh Street in today's Midtown. For the 1895 Cotton States Expo, in order to connect downtown to the exposition grounds at Piedmont Park, Plaster's Bridge Road south of 10th street was rerouted to connect to an extension of Calhoun Street, and all of this new through street was renamed Piedmont Avenue.^[2]

Route

Downtown, SoNo and Old Fourth Ward

Piedmont Avenue Southeast begins at the

After crossing Edgewood Avenue, the street turns due north and becomes Piedmont Avenue Northeast, then passes Auburn Avenue, the historic heart of the black community. It then crosses the Downtown Connector freeway. At this point Piedmont Avenue forms the border between the SoNo neighborhood on the west and Old Fourth Ward on the east. In this section, Piedmont passes the Georgia Power headquarters, Renaissance Park, many gated apartment communities and several newer high-rise residential buildings, and the Atlanta Civic Center, former site of the Buttermilk Bottom slum.

Midtown

Passing

Piedmont and Tenth is considered the heart of the gay community in Atlanta, with several popular gay bars located here.^[3] North of 10th, the streetscape turns into mostly early 20th century multi-unit residential buildings. North of 12th Street, Piedmont Avenue borders Piedmont Park, to its east.

Ansley Park and Piedmont Park

After 14th Street, Piedmont Avenue becomes two-way (southbound traffic is forced to turn west on 14th Street). North of 14th, Piedmont forms the border between the posh, historic Ansley Park neighborhood on the west and Piedmont Park, the Piedmont Driving Club and the Atlanta Botanical Garden on the east. Then Piedmont crosses the BeltLine trail and Clear Creek at the northern tip of Piedmont Park and intersects with Monroe Drive, at the northwest corner of which the open-air Ansley Mall is located.

Piedmont Heights and Morningside/Lenox Park

After the intersection with Monroe, Piedmont Avenue forms the border between