After years of community advocacy, Chattahoochee Brick site belongs to Atlanta

The entrance to the former site of the Chattahoochee Brick Company, located on the western edge of Atlanta at the confluence of Proctor Creek and the Chattahoochee River, is shown.

BITA HONARVAR / Special to wabe

Following years of grassroots advocacy, the City of Atlanta now owns the former site of the Chattahoochee Brick Company.

The factory made bricks that helped build Atlanta, using forced convict labor. Community activists successfully fought plans to build an industrial facility at the site, and now the city plans to build a park and a memorial there instead. 

The city held an event at the site on Saturday to celebrate acquiring the property, and to talk about what comes next for it.