Park closed since the 1996 Olympics reopens in Northwest Atlanta

March 8th, 2022

the hill at waterworks park — Until the Olympics, the public had access to the areas around Atlanta's reservoirs. That property is now starting to open up again. (Courtesy of Upper Westside Community Improvement District)

A park with a view of Midtown is open to the public again after being fenced off for more than 25 years.

The grassy hill next to a reservoir and water treatment plant in Northwest Atlanta is a spot where visitors can look over streets and trees to enjoy a skyline view. But since the Atlanta Olympics it’s been off-limits, surrounded by a security fence.

George Koulouris with the community group Friends of Waterworks Greenspace said he found the spot when he moved to the neighborhood about 10 years ago. He and his husband wanted to get a dog, and they wanted to find a place where they could walk him. When they learned the history of the hill with the view, they started advocating to get it opened again.

“We had temporary fences go up in 1996,” Koulouris said. “It’s the most permanent temporary thing I’ve ever seen in this city.”

He spoke at an event Tuesday morning, when the park officially reopened. Mayor Andre Dickens said it’s been in the works for some time.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Dickens said. “I think it will become a destination for all of us. At some point a lot of us will be here hanging out and enjoying a picnic.”

It’s in a part of the city that needs parks, Elizabeth Hollister with the Upper West Side Community Improvement District said. Her group worked hard to get this one reopened for people in the area.

“It was industrial for decades, and so no parks were built,” she said. “The three surrounding neighborhoods of Berkeley Park and Marietta Street Artery and Blandtown still do not have any City of Atlanta parks. So this two and a half acres is fulfilling an important parks deficit.”

Getting to the park, which is at the corner of 17^th Street and Howell Mill Road, can still be a little dicey on foot. There aren’t many sidewalks in the area. But that might be addressed with the city’s plan to fund more transportation and sidewalk infrastructure projects with a sales tax on the ballot in Atlanta this year.

And Koulouris and his husband do now have the dog they wanted and a place to bring him; Tucker the basset hound mix was in attendance at the park opening.