History of Public Housing in Marietta, Georgia

In 1941, the Marietta Housing Authority constructed Fort Hill Homes, a 13-building public housing complex for African Americans in the Liberia section of town. Seventy years later, the MHA submitted an application to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under Section 18 of the U.S. Housing Act of 1937 for permission to demolish the complex.

Pursuant to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the project was carried out under the Memorandum of Agreement between HUD and the Georgia State Historic Preservation Office.  The Agreement stipulated that a comprehensive history of public housing in the City of Marietta be prepared to mitigate the adverse effect of the demolition of Fort Hill Homes, which was determined to be eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.  Laura Drummond of APPS researched and wrote From Holland Town to the Renaissance on Henderson, A Social and Developmental History of the Marietta Housing Authority.  The history was co-authored by retired MHA Executive Directors Ray Buday and George Green.  Facilitating the research were the extensive records of the Authority, which were donated by a Deed of Gift from MHA to the Archives at Kennesaw State University.  Fort Hill Homes was demolished in 2013.

Image, above:  Fort Hill Homes plans cover sheet, courtesy of the Marietta Housing Authority, photo by L. M. Drummond