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Preservationists plan show of force at Pullman Yard open house

Kirkwood and East Lake slideshow

Preservationists plan show of force at Pullman Yard open house

The Pullman Yard in Kirkwood. Photo by Dan Whisenhunt
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The Pullman Yard in Kirkwood. Photo by Dan Whisenhunt

People who are interested in preservation of the Pullman Yard are planning to take advantage of an open house for the property that will take place on Jan. 10 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

In late November the Atlanta Urban Design Commission backed away from a proposal that would’ve given Kirkwood’s Pullman Yard landmark status.

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The designation would’ve required any developer to preserve historic elements of the property. Weeks later, the state put the 27 acre site on the market for sale to the highest bidder. The state is not requiring that the buildings on the property be preserved, though the bid documents note the historic nature of the site.

A petition started in favor of protecting the site encourages supporters to “come on down for your lunch break, have a look, and make your voices heard.” It also encourages people to bring posters.

“The state of Georgia continues to ignore requests for comments from media, concerned citizens, and city officials, on why they are in non-compliance with state laws on historic preservation,” the petition says. “They continue to refuse to consider preservation covenants, easements, or other protections for the historic buildings and structures.

“So they leave no choice but for preservation to be negotiated through the neighborhood re-zoning process. This will be contentious if developers are unaware of the importance of this historic site. So we will be there on Jan. 10 to make sure any potential bidders know that no change in zoning will occur without the historically appropriate reuse of the train sheds, saw-tooth buildings, switching table, and other features of the historic site.”

The Georgia Building Authority declined to comment on the pending sale and said there is no way for the public to share its views about what should be done with the property. The minimum bid is $5.6 million.

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