History mural unveiled in Atlantic Station

Staff Report

A historic photo of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Ambassador Andrew Young along with early images of Atlantic Steel, the Buckhead Theatre and Piedmont Park are featured in Wells Fargo’s large new mural in its Southeast headquarters building in Atlantic Station.

The mural is the newest in Atlanta and among 50 already installed or shortly to be installed across the metro area. It is among 1,800 in Wells Fargo bank stores across the nation. Each is unique to the area in which the bank store is located, and was developed with the aid of local archives and historians.

“This underscores how proud and pleased we are to be part of Atlanta,” said Atlanta Regional President Mike Donnelly. “Our customers really enjoy our murals and they reinforce how local we really are.”

Helping to dedicate the mural last week in the bank store in the headquarters building were Andrea Young, daughter of Ambassador Young, Georgia Tech Archivist Mandi Johnson, Rodney Cook of the Millennium Gate Museum, Karla Curtis of the Buckhead Theatre and Mitch Jacoby of Jacoby Development, the developers of Atlantic Station.

Among those providing images for the new mural were the archives of Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia, the Atlanta History Center and Robert Matre Art and Photography.

“I can actually say that many of these images are from before I was born,” Young said.  “They show we’ve come so far.”

Noting that several images are of early trains and train station, she continued, “It shows that transportation and great people and educational institutions are what Atlanta is all about.”

Wells Fargo’s murals are a snapshot of turn-of the-century America, conveying a sense of history, tradition, longevity, optimism and progress. Each mural creates a connection to the history of the surrounding area.

The Atlantic Station mural is 14 feet high and 5 feet wide. It has 19 images in all.