The city too busy to change

2009 March 17
by christa t

henry grady/first federal savings and loanSome selected quotes from that 1967 GQ I’m so happy about:

Atlanta is something of a liberal oasis on a desert of reaction.

If you want to sell something to Atlanta, just convince a handful of the right people that Atlanta can’t be a Big League City without it, and the proposition is as good as taken.

Civic-minded Atlantans are sensitive about their city’s progressive reputation. It’s not a chip that they carry on their shoulders, but an earnest sweat on their brows. Criticize Atlanta for what it lacks and the response is less likely to be “Whaddaya mean?” than “Okay, we’ll get one.”

But Atlantans’ blood does run cold at the thought that a gold star already earned may tarnish: there is a tendency to measure any event by its potential effect on Atlanta’s “image”.

From “Atlanta! Aflame again” by Bruce Galphin in April 1967.
Tech tower
These magazine pages are huge so I haven’t figured out how I’m going to scan them all. For now, here are a few. Click any photos for the larger image.
memorial hall
peachtree center

2 Responses leave one →
  1. 2009 March 17

    THANKS!!! Those quotes and pics are awesome. And it is so true how much has stayed the same… “ok, we’ll get one.” The problem is how many of those things we got were done so half-assed…

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