Interactive: The Downtown Connector and Sweet Auburn, then and now
The comparision images below show the path of the Downtown Connector cutting through the Sweet Auburn neighborhood. Auburn Avenue is seen running diagonally through the center of the image, with Edgewood Avenue to the left. Big Bethel AME is near the top left and Wheat Street Baptist is in the lower right corner.
The earlier image from 1958 (from the AJC Archive at GSU Library) shows the path of the Connector having already been cleared through several blocks. Grading work and sewer line installation is visible amid the construciton. This section of the Connector opened in September 1964.
The present image was taken from Google Earth and may not include some recent changes to the area.
Use the slider to compare between an AJC file image from 1958 and a Google Earth image from today. A full-screen version of this image can be found here.