ATLANTA (May 5, 2017) – The Northcrest Historic District, in unincorporated Dekalb County, has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The Northcrest neighborhood is located just outside the I-285 perimeter highway, southeast of Doraville, and about 11 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta. The district is roughly bounded by Chamblee-Tucker Road on the south, Northcrest Road on the west, and Pleasantdale Road on the north and east. The nomination was sponsored by the Northcrest Civic Association, and nomination materials were prepared by graduate students in the Heritage Preservation Program at Georgia State University.
The Northcrest Historic District was developed as part of an explosion of growth in suburban DeKalb County in the years following World War II. The neighborhood provided housing and other amenities for workers in new industries in the area, such as the Doraville General Motors plant. The district is significant as a good example of a planned tract development in suburban Atlanta. The district consists of several contiguous and historically-related suburban residential developments constructed between 1959 and 1975. The largest and earliest of the subdivisions was Northcrest, while other subdivisions include Hidden Acres, Concord Manor, and Northcrest East. The subdivisions were planned to include single-family houses, one multi-family apartment complex, a park, a school (Pleasantdale Elementary), and a swim/tennis club. The landscape plan dictated open lawns on wide curvilinear streets that work with the hilly terrain to create picturesque viewsheds. Designed for automobiles, the neighborhood included few access points and few sidewalks, except near the school.
Northcrest is also significant for its good intact collection of mid-20th century houses that follow the predominant national trends of the time. Residential architecture in the district includes split-level houses, two-story houses, various styles and sub-types of ranch houses, and a few split-foyer houses. The split-level house is the most prevalent house type, usually exhibiting either no style or the Contemporary style. A variant of this is the A-frame split level, which includes a side section of the roof forming the letter “A.” Twelve houses of this unusual form are located in Northcrest. The developer of the neighborhood, THE, Inc., worked closely with architect Ernest Mastin to devise several model floor plans. Mastin, a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology, was influenced by California contemporary designs, but wanted to apply them to more modest houses. Northcrest was the culmination of that trend in the metropolitan Atlanta area.
The National Register of Historic Places is our country's official list of historic buildings, structures, sites, objects, and districts worthy of preservation. The National Register provides formal recognition of a property's architectural, historical, or archaeological significance. It also identifies historic properties for planning purposes, and insures that these properties will be considered in the planning of state or federally assisted projects. National Register listing encourages preservation of historic properties through public awareness, federal and state tax incentives, and grants. Listing in the National Register does not place obligations or restrictions on the use, treatment, transfer, or disposition of private property.
The Historic Preservation Division (HPD) of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources serves as Georgia’s state historic preservation office. Its mission is to promote the preservation and use of historic places for a better Georgia. HPD’s programs include archaeology protection and education, environmental review, grants, historic resource surveys, tax incentives, the National Register of Historic Places, community planning and technical assistance.
The mission of the Department of Natural Resources is to sustain, enhance, protect and conserve Georgia’s natural, historic and cultural resources for present and future generations, while recognizing the importance of promoting the development of commerce and industry that utilize sound environmental practices.
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For press inquiries contact Historic Preservation Division Public Affairs Coordinator Jeff Harrison – 770-389-7869 and jeff.harrison@dnr.ga.gov.