How does a group of neighbors come together to ‘create’ a park? And why?

Ms. Mattie Freeland always had a vision for something beautiful outside her window. Having lived on D’Alvigney Street in the English Avenue community of Atlanta for more than 55 years, Ms. Mattie had seen the ups and downs of a neighborhood many knew only as “The Bluff”. This area is known for the drug culture it represented for years, but Ms. Mattie saw much more. She knew a neighborhood is much more than a physical place… it is about people. She lived to serve her neighbors, and she did it in the most ordinary ways - by offering a meal, a phone call, a couch to sleep on.

In 2007, the year before she died, Ms. Mattie shared with neighbors a desire to see the vacant lot across the street from her home turned into a flower garden. “You know, you could make that lot into something pretty to look at…”

That vision stuck in the minds of her neighbors and re-emerged about a year later, when they came out on Memorial Day weekend to clear that lot and turn it into a garden. Named for ‘Mother Mattie’, as she was known by the children at nearby New Life Covenant Church where she attended regularly, the space stood to represent part of the life and legacy of a woman who was remarkable in the everyday things of life - showing love and care for the people around her.

Over the years, this small lot grew into a larger ‘park’ and saw the addition of raised beds for vegetable gardening, a play structure, a sodded field and one of the area’s great examples of locally-inspired mural art.

A small group of neighbors, the Friends of Mattie Freeland Park, has led this effort because they see the value in marking a place - a place dedicated to the life of Ms. Mattie, but also her peers. They lived in English Avenue and raised their kids here, and have loved this place over time.

As we see a new Atlanta emerge day after day, we feel it is important to honor history and legacy. And this is our small way of doing it.

Our vision + Mission

The vision of the Friends of Mattie Freeland Park is for the park to be a catalyst for transformational change in the English Avenue community. This is done by creating a safe gathering space that is inclusive and celebrates the history and diversity of the community.

Since 2008, this park has hosted everything from birthday parties to Holy Week services and vigils for those who left us too early. It aims to be a place where neighbors can connect with each other and build the bonds of community.

CONFERENCE PRESENTATION

Several Friends of the Park had the opportunity to present on the park and our placemaking efforts at the Project for Public Spaces’ Placemaking Week Conference in Chattanooga, TN on October 2, 2019. Attendees were interested in how the park was developed and how the work has been connected to the lives of so many committed neighbors.

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