Housing authority to implode building Sunday
Some residents in Atlanta's West End neighborhood may get jolted by a loud noise Sunday morning.
The Atlanta Housing Authority has hired a company to implode the Martin Luther King Tower, 525 Whitehall Terr., shortly after sunrise Sunday.
The demolition is part of the authority's efforts to tear down older housing developments and replace many of them with mixed-income communities. Critics have complained the process has put some tenants in neighborhoods where it is more difficult to get to MARTA and other services. Housing authority officials counter that crime is lower in the mixed-income communities and children who live there do better in school.
The 13-story tower was built in 1968 and contained 154 units.
The implosion will cost $1.57 million, housing authority officials said.
About the Author
Eric Stirgus joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2001. He currently writes about higher education and has assisted in the newsroom’s COVID-19 vaccine coverage. Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Eric is active in the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists and the Education Writers Association and enjoys mentoring aspiring journalists.
