Capitol View is a historic in-town southwest Atlanta neighborhood 2.5 miles from downtown Atlanta, Georgia that was named for its view of the Georgia State Capitol building. Its boundaries include Metropolitan Parkway to the east, Lee Street to the west, and the Beltline to the north. On the south, the border follows Arden Street, Deckner Avenue, and Perkerson Park.
Capitol View is filled with a housing stock of 1915-1925 craftsman bungalows as well as earlier Queen Anne houses that precede the planned development of the neighborhood. Several of the Queen Annes on Metropolitan Avenue were built by the Deckner family, for whom Decker Avenue is named. Many of the historic homes are rapidly being renovated as the neighborhood continues to revitalize and attract new residents.
History
Early history
In the first and second decades of the 1900s, the residential area now known as Capitol View was little more than a farm and pasture owned primarily by A.P. Stewart, "Uncle John" Shannon and the Deckner family. There were no paved streets, no electric lights and no sewage system.
In 1858, the 12 charter members of Capitol View Baptist Church (then located on Beatie Avenue) went to church by lantern light. About 1912, the church was organized as a mission under the Second Baptist Church of Atlanta. Between 1910 and 1914, the community began growing, largely due to the addition of a Masonic Temple and pharmacy to the area. By 1913, utilities were installed and Capitol View was annexed in the City of Atlanta.
The early 20th century trolley system revolutionized Capitol View and led to streets laid out in a grid pattern that has a longer north-south axis than east-west.
Commercial activity is concentrated along Dill Avenue, with a major commercial intersection at Dill and Metropolitan Parkway. This intersection has two prominent buildings, the 1921 Masonic Temple and the 1927 Capitol View Baptist Church (demolished in 2016) as well as several smaller commercial buildings.
Urban Renewal
In the late 1990s, Stewart Avenue was renamed Metropolitan Parkway in an effort to shake the street's unfortunate reputation as a haven of crime and prostitution. Since then Dill Ave restored the area have helped to increase property values and reduce crime. The approval of a Tax-allocation district for Metropolitan Parkway (although it does not include the Capitol View area) should help to revitalize a long-neglected business corridor. The redevelopment of the nearby Fort McPherson into a mixed use development/movie studio in the future will provide employment opportunities for existing and new residents. MARTA is also in the process of transitioning the Oakland City MARTA station into a transit-oriented development by converting existing parking lots into condos, apartments, and storefronts.
With the 2014 construction of the Beltline, the rising trend toward city living, and the new Metropolitan Branch library, Capitol View appears to be on a track for revitalization like many other in-town Atlanta neighborhoods.
BeltLine Westside Trail
The Atlanta BeltLine runs through the northern part of the Capitol View neighborhood, dropping south from Adair Park and crossing Metropolitan Avenue just north of Erin Avenue (in fact, that's the BeltLine bridge that you drive under on Metropolitan). From there, the BeltLine heads into neighboring Capitol View Manor.
In September 2013, the City of Atlanta was awarded an $18 million TIGER V grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to develop the southwest corridor of the Atlanta BeltLine. In the second half of 2014, construction will commence on the 3-mile Westside Trail. The 3-mile Westside trail will run along the northern edge of Capitol View from University Avenue in Adair Park north to Lena Avenue at Washington Park in West End. For a half mile along White Street, the trail will use the existing West End Trail. The project funding includes 14 points of entry (11 of which will be ADA-accessible) with ramp and stair systems, greenway, and preservation for future transit. The construction is expected to start in the fall of 2014.