Cascade History

Kenmore Parks

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The Majestic Enclave: A History of Kenmore Parks

Introduction: The Majestic Enclave

As the economic stagnation of the Great Depression lifted in the late 1930s, the Cascade corridor of Southwest Atlanta experienced a massive housing boom. While subdivisions like Cascade Heights catered to the sprawling estates of the city’s elite, developers recognized a desperate need for high-quality, restricted neighborhoods for the growing middle class.

In November 1939, the Majestic Corporation officially launched Kenmore Parks.1 Marketed exclusively by prominent real estate agent George L. Wilson, Kenmore Parks offered a highly desirable location, pristine wooded lots, and a unique financial advantage that drew throngs of pre-war homebuyers to the edge of the city limits.

Chapter 1: The John A. White Golf Course

The primary selling point of Kenmore Parks was its location. The subdivision was situated just east of the West End Woman’s Club and directly across Cascade Avenue from the newly opened John A. White municipal golf course.2

The golf course itself was a monument to the political power of the local white commercial-civic elite. For five years, the West End Business Men’s Association (led by George L. Wilson) had fought a bitter campaign to force the city to purchase the land and open it as a public park. They finally achieved victory in July 1938. The grand opening of the 9-hole municipal layout was a major civic event, attended by Mayor William B. Hartsfield and other city officials. Dorothy Kirby, the Southern Woman’s golf champion, was given the honor of driving the first ball.3

By platting Kenmore Parks directly across the street from this pristine, taxpayer-funded amenity, the Majestic Corporation and George L. Wilson guaranteed the desirability of their new subdivision.

Chapter 2: The Plat Map and “No Assessments”

Kenmore Parks was designed to be an intimate, carefully planned community. A close examination of the subdivision’s plat maps and promotional brochures reveals a distinct, self-contained street grid. Cascade Avenue served as the southern boundary. Kenmore Street ran north directly from Cascade, while Chatham Avenue branched diagonally to the northwest. Avon Avenue ran parallel above Chatham, with Wakefield Street connecting the two diagonal avenues.4

The subdivision initially opened with just 24 available lots. These parcels were carefully platted to ensure a spacious, suburban feel, featuring 60-foot frontages on Kenmore Street and Chatham Avenue, and extending back 200 feet. To prevent a cramped appearance, the developers instituted a strict 40-foot setback from the curb line for all buildings.5

Kenmore Parks was marketed heavily on its financial advantages. Advertisements declared it “A Community of Homeowners” that was away from the smoke and noise of the city, yet easily accessible.6 Crucially, the Majestic Corporation had already paid for all the paving, sewer, and water infrastructure before the lots went on sale. This allowed George L. Wilson to market the lots with a highly attractive promise: buyers would face “No Assessments” for these municipal improvements.7

Chapter 3: The Builders and the 1940 Expansion

The homes in Kenmore Parks were designed for the solid middle class, generally falling into the $6,000 to $7,500 range.8 The neighborhood attracted premium local builders—part of the same network of contractors, like the Flagler Construction Company (who built Cascade Manor), executing Wilson’s vision across the corridor—who purchased lots from Wilson to construct custom brick homes. In October 1940, the press featured a cozy, attractive home on Chatham Avenue built by Hallman Bros. for Mr. and Mrs. O.H. Jentzen, situated on a massive 60 by 300-foot lot.9

By August 1940, the neighborhood was bustling with construction, with multiple new residences going up simultaneously to meet the demand of the pre-war housing boom. The subdivision also physically expanded that summer to accommodate the rush of buyers.

A new street, Highland road, was made available for building purposes following the laying of a 3,500-foot extension of the water main. These new lots were massive, boasting 80-foot widths and strict 80-foot front building restriction lines.10 The developers ensured that water, lights, phone, gas, and pavement were all installed prior to sale, maintaining the neighborhood’s promise of no extra assessments against the property.11

Chapter 4: Restrictions and Legacy

While Kenmore Parks offered the dream of homeownership, that dream was strictly limited by race. Like all of the subdivisions developed along the Cascade corridor during this era, Kenmore Parks was built on a foundation of legal exclusion.

Real estate advertisements for the area frequently boasted of “Reasonable restrictions rigidly enforced” or “rigid restrictions for 50 years.”12 This was the coded industry terminology for racial housing covenants. The deeds for these properties contained explicit clauses dictating that the homes could only be sold to, or occupied by, white residents. Furthermore, the neighborhood was approved for FHA financing, a federal program that, at the time, actively encouraged racial covenants to maintain neighborhood “stability.”13

For decades, these legal and social barricades successfully protected Kenmore Parks as an exclusive white enclave. However, the legal foundation of this segregated empire was shattered in 1948 when the United States Supreme Court ruled in Shelley v. Kraemer that racially restrictive covenants could no longer be enforced by state courts.14

As the 1960s civil rights movement dismantled the remaining barriers of segregation, the demographic makeup of Southwest Atlanta began to shift. The white middle-class families who had originally settled the neighborhood moved outward to the distant suburbs. Later classified advertisements from the 1990s and 2000s reveal the full, mature footprint of the neighborhood, highlighting homes on Eastridge Road and E. Ridge Road being sold to a new generation of homeowners.15

Today, Kenmore Parks stands as a vital chapter in the history of Southwest Atlanta, representing a perfectly preserved snapshot of 1930s suburban planning, municipal maneuvering, and the enduring legacy of the Cascade corridor.

Bibliography

  • Shelley v. Kraemer, 334 U.S. 1 (1948).
  • The Atlanta Constitution. “Building Now 25 New Homes In Cascade Area.” August 11, 1940.
  • The Atlanta Constitution. “Classified Ads.” 1998-1999.
  • The Atlanta Constitution. “Display Ad 41.” March 3, 1940.
  • The Atlanta Constitution. “Display Ad 53.” November 19, 1939.
  • The Atlanta Constitution. “Kenmore Parks, New Subdivision, Is Now Opened.” November 19, 1939.
  • The Atlanta Constitution. “Photo Standalone 33.” October 27, 1940.
  • The Atlanta Journal. “Dorothy Kirby Drives 1st Ball.” July 2, 1938.
  • The Atlanta Journal. “Planning to Build This Spring? Then Visit KENMORE PARKS.” April 7, 1940.
  1. “Kenmore Parks, New Subdivision, Is Now Opened,” The Atlanta Constitution, November 19, 1939, 10B.
  2. “Kenmore Parks, New Subdivision, Is Now Opened,” The Atlanta Constitution, November 19, 1939, 10B.
  3. “Dorothy Kirby Drives 1st Ball,” The Atlanta Journal, July 2, 1938, 8.
  4. Display Ad 41, The Atlanta Constitution, March 3, 1940, 10B; Display Ad 53, The Atlanta Constitution, November 19, 1939, 10B.
  5. “Kenmore Parks, New Subdivision, Is Now Opened,” The Atlanta Constitution, November 19, 1939, 10B.
  6. Display Ad 53, The Atlanta Constitution, November 19, 1939, 10B.
  7. Display Ad 53, The Atlanta Constitution, November 19, 1939, 10B.
  8. “Photo Standalone 33,” The Atlanta Constitution, October 27, 1940, 2D; “Building Now 25 New Homes In Cascade Area,” The Atlanta Constitution, August 11, 1940, 3DA.
  9. “Photo Standalone 33,” The Atlanta Constitution, October 27, 1940, 2D.
  10. “Building Now 25 New Homes In Cascade Area,” The Atlanta Constitution, August 11, 1940, 3DA.
  11. “Building Now 25 New Homes In Cascade Area,” The Atlanta Constitution, August 11, 1940, 3DA.
  12. “Building Now 25 New Homes In Cascade Area,” The Atlanta Constitution, August 11, 1940, 3DA.
  13. “Planning to Build This Spring? Then Visit KENMORE PARKS,” The Atlanta Journal, April 7, 1940, 14.
  14. Shelley v. Kraemer, 334 U.S. 1 (1948).
  15. “Classified Ad,” The Atlanta Constitution, November 19, 1998, 128; “Classified Ad,” The Atlanta Constitution, November 25, 1999, 184.
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