275 Connally Street - Evander Holyfield’s Childhood Home

With the Atlanta Braves now in Cobb County, and Georgia State University quickly moving forward with plans to expand its housing and sports facilities, neighborhood residents are cautiously optimistic as they wait for the promised retail and residential projects to take shape in the area blighted during Turner Field’s presence.Summerhill, officially established after the Civil War, was first home to freed slaves, with nearby Washington-Ralston home to many of the city’s European immigrants. Evander Holyfield lived in Summerhill as a child, on 275 Connolly Street (technically now Capital Gateway). The neighborhood, much now covered by GSU stadium’s sprawling parking lots, was razed following its initial decline during white flight in the mid-20th century. When two stadiums and an ever-widening highway replaced the city blocks - smothering nearby Mechanicsville, Peoplestown, and Summerhill - local businesses closed, and residential properties had more value as private game-day parking lots than family homes. Today, Freewheel Farm, which sells its veggies at the nearby Grant Park Farmers Market, occupies a tiny lot here.   !!People Making a Difference in Summerhill   !!Civic Places !!Neighborhood Sense of Place !!Neighborhood Wish List   !!Issues of Concern