Sometimes it’s hard for others to see a vision, but for Sule Konata Welch, it didn’t matter when he discovered a dilapidated building would become the new location for his martial arts studio.
The building, which is two buildings combined, holds a historic place in Georgia and Atlanta’s Vine City neighborhood. Welch discovered the bigger brick building had a historic tie to education. It once housed the Georgia Teachers and Education Association, an organization for Black educators. It also served pre-K and kindergartners for the Ashby Street Learning Academy.
However, it’s been difficult to determine the exact year the three-story facility was built, but Welch suspects sometime in the early 1960s. At that time, the building would be constructed right next to what was either a former church or home residence. Welch believes it was built in the 1930s.
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