Arts & Entertainment

Ponce de Leon Historical Book Released

Local writer's book signing event set for Friday; guided tour of Ponce to be given on Saturday.

Inman Park resident and author Sharon Foster Jones has just had her latest book released entitled, "Atlanta's Ponce De Leon Avenue: A History."

The book is loaded with historical details and photos of Ponce's magnificence, as Jones helps promote awareness of this major feature of local heritage. It takes readers on a journey from the discovery of a spring on the site of today's Ponce City Market, to plantations that existed in the area, to the emergence of neighborhoods along Ponce.

The book's pages follow Ponce's rise as a prime address, its tragic decay starting with the great conflagration of 1917, continuing through suburbanization that afflicted most cities starting in the 1950s, and on to the revitalization and re-establishment that will continue for a long time to come.

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As the Midtown Ponce Security Alliance (MPSA) posted on its website: “We would go as far as saying this book belongs in every Midtown home and library.”

Jones will appear at a book signing event Friday from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Paris on Ponce, located at 716 Ponce de Leon Place.

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And as part of the event, "The Phoenix Flies - A City-Wide Celebration of Living Landmarks,'' will host a guided walking tour of key places on Ponce de Leon Ave. on Saturday, March 10. The free 90-minute tour will begin at 10 a.m. from Paris on Ponce and more info can be found here.

More from MPSA on the importance of Ponce de Leon Ave. in relation to Midtown:

When a group of your neighbors formed the MPSA in 2003, we immediately came to the conclusion that any vision of a greater Midtown experience must integrate Ponce in its core strategies. This core tenet even became the essence of our logo - the blue, green, and white. The green blocks stand not only for the beautiful Midtown physical environment but also a greener way of life; oriented toward its opportunity for walkability (white sidewalks, not black asphalt); all founded upon a restored magnificence of Ponce de Leon Avenue as a gateway into the Midtown community; and with a focus upon safe neighborhood in which we live, work, shop, and play (the blue circle).

But safety is only a small part of the picture, and ultimately a great neighborhood in which to live, to work, to shop, and to play is not made merely by the removal of negative elements, but acting upon the awareness, pursuit, and enhancement of its great qualities. We make a great neighborhood by identifying with its opportunities, its diversity, its quality of life, and its heritage. Only with this in mind can we most effectively pursue a superb Ponce de Leon well integrated into Midtown and other surrounding neighborhoods.


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