As Atlanta embraces spring, big changes are taking root at the city's oldest public park. The Grant Park Conservancy recently broke ground on the Milledge Fountain Outdoor Classroom and Theatre, an effort to transform and enliven a section of the 131-acre greenspace that officials say has long been overlooked.
Situated along Cherokee Avenue at the park's western rim, the 1927 Milledge Fountain is considered a neighborhood landmark and gateway. While the fountain underwent restoration in 2017, the space behind it has long struggled with overgrowth, flooding, and erosion.
The new project joins other recent improvements including a large new Kaboom! playground that debuted last fall. The eternally empty Grant Park Gateway building is also showing signs of finally being occupied, guided by input from hundreds of neighbors. Executive director Michelle Blackmon noted the Conservancy has "a lot going on in the park."
