North Buckhead’s Sarah Smith Elementary School is celebrating its 70th school year.
The anniversary will be celebrated at the school’s annual Fall Festival Oct. 20 and at a 1970s-themed party in the spring for past and present parents of students.
Part of the Atlanta Public Schools system, the school opened at 370 Old Ivy Road in 1952, the same year Buckhead was annexed into Atlanta.
It opened as Marion Smith Elementary, named for an attorney who served as chairman of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. Marion Smith also was the son of Hoke Smith, a powerful political figure who served as Georgia governor, a U.S. Senator and Atlanta Board of Education president and published the Atlanta Journal newspaper.
As recounted by Northside Neighbor columnist Thornton Kennedy, the new school soon ran into confusion with an identically named school in East Point. So in 1954, the Buckhead school was renamed for Marion’s late wife, Sarah Brock Rawson Smith. It is known formally as Sarah Rawson Smith or Sarah R. Smith Elementary.
The school has expanded significantly over the years and now has two campuses: the K-2 Primary Campus at the original site and the Grades 3-5 Intermediate Campus at 4141 Wieuca Road, the latter of which opened in 2010. That expansion followed a period of overcrowding that saw kindergartner classes held at a nearby church for several years.
The school is known for its dual-language immersion and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs. It offers the IB’s Primary Years Programme.
Over the past decade, the school has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Blue Ribbon Schools and the Georgia Department of Education’s Schools of Excellence awards, which are programs noting high student achievement test scores or the closing of achievement gaps.
This year, the school campus became the anchor for a community program of pedestrian-friendly green space improvements along neighborhood streets.
The school is seeking photos and stories from alumni for anniversary celebration uses, which can be sent to ssefmarketing@gmail.com.
For more about the school and its events, see its website.
The discerning buyer will appreciate the quality, craftsmanship, and attention to detail at 4111 McClatchey Circle in North Buckhead. The meticulously landscaped front yard, Circa gas lanterns, and copper gutters are only the beginning. Everything inside the classic brick facade has been upgraded over time. You’ll discover carefully considered details throughout the home, such as Lutron smart dimmer switches, solid cherry doors, and custom hardware. Other highlights include a whole-house water filtration system, tankless water heater, April Aire filtration system, and dehumidification system.
Nature lovers will appreciate the outdoor spaces. A screened outdoor living room overlooks the generous wooded lot that slopes down to a creek on the property. The serene view is like having a private nature preserve.
The entry foyer leads to the formal living room on one side, and the formal dining room on the other. The custom cherry French doors allow the living room to function as the perfect private home office. The dining room features built in corner cabinets, and provides access to the gourmet kitchen.
The kitchen contains solid cherry cabinets and granite counter tops. The chef in your home will love the Viking gas range and microwave, SubZero refrigerator, and Miele dishwasher. The bright breakfast room leads to an additional wine room/bar with cherry cabinetry and double wine cooler.
The family room has a cozy fireplace, and provides access to the outdoor living room and the open-air deck. These outdoor spaces are sure to become some of your favorite parts of the home.
Upstairs you will find the main bedroom suite, along with three additional bedrooms and a full bath. The main bedroom features a gorgeous ensuite Waterworks bath. The heated Carrara marble flooring, Kohler tea-for-two bathtub, and Toto toilet give the suite a decadent, spa-like feel.
The additional upstairs Waterworks bath also features Carrara marble, Toto toilet, and high-end fixtures.
The daylight terrace level provides 500 additional square feet of finished space! This lower level includes two large rooms plus a full bath, featuring a Jacuzzi tub, and the outdoor entrance leads to the backyard.
North Buckhead blends quiet, walkable neighborhoods with easy access to some of the best amenities in Buckhead. The Blue Heron Nature Preserve and Little Nancy Creek Park offer great outdoor activities within the neighborhood, and the Buckhead Village District and Chastain Park are right around the corner. The active North Buckhead Civic Association hosts numerous events throughout the year to help residents stay connected and engaged. North Buckhead is a great home base for active Buckhead families!
Livable Buckhead’s Summer Event Series provides plenty of inspiration to get you out of the house, no matter what you’re into. Most of the events are free to the public, and reservations are encouraged through the Livable Buckhead website. The events kick off on June 4 with the buckheadRUN 5K race, but there is much more happening throughout the summer.
“There really is something for absolutely everyone,” said Denise Starling, executive director of Livable Buckhead. “We want to give people a reason to get out and enjoy the summer in Buckhead, and we particularly want to give them a reason to try out PATH400. All of the Summer Series events will take place on the trail or very nearby it, and we encourage everyone to walk or bike on PATH400 if they can.”
Here is the full list of recurring events, from the Livable Buckhead press release:
Every other Thursday from June 9 to September 28, pups and their humans are invited to the Hyatt Centric Buckhead Atlanta for free training and a cock“tail.” Each week has a new theme, activity or giveaway. Yappy Hour is from 5 to 7 p.m. and there is no charge to attend, but reservations are encouraged.
On the third Friday of each month from June through September, Livable Buckhead will screen a free, family-friendly movie in Old Ivy Park and offer pre-movie activities for the whole family. The first movie is “The Secret Life of Pets” on June 17, followed by “Babe” on July 15, “Sing 2” on August 19 and “The Emperor’s New Groove” on Sept. 16. Activities begin at 7:30 and movies begin at dusk. See the Livable Buckhead website for specific start times and more details.
Enjoy goat yoga at Hyatt Centric Buckhead Atlanta on the last Wednesday of every month from June through September. This Ashtanga-based Vinyasa class is appropriate for all levels. Cost is $38 per session with a $10 discount for Livable Buckhead members. Register online.
Miami Circle is home to the largest gathering of fine art galleries in Atlanta. Join Livable Buckhead on July 16 and Sept. 17 for this free event, experiencing some of the foremost art galleries while discovering stunning local, regional and international artists. Before heading out, check out Livable Buckhead’s Facebook page for each stroll’s highlights.
Livable Buckhead is creating a community park at 684 Mountain Drive, and in recent years has planted trees, added picnic benches, and even introduced beehives with a supporting pollinator garden. On the second Saturday of each month from June through September, this park will be the site of sustainability events including a beehive demonstration, a bee and honey workshop, a rain barrel workshop and a block party.
The Livable Buckhead Summer Event Series is sponsored by Buckhead Village; Owen and Associates; Regent Partners; Deirdre Greenfield, Realtor® – Ansley Real Estate; AMLI; Tower Beer, Wine and Spirits; Hyatt Centric; and Sweetgreen. For complete event details visit www.livablebuckhead.org/summer.
Buckhead’s Atlanta Police Department precinct is seeing a changing of the guard as its current commander has received a promotion to deputy chief.
Andrew Senzer, who has led the Zone 2 precinct since November 2019 with the rank of major, will head APD’s Strategy and Special Projects Division, he announced at an April 7 meeting of the Buckhead Public Safety Task Force.
Major Ailen Mitchell, who has served as Senzer’s assistant since 2020, will be the new Zone 2 commander, Deputy Chief Timothy Peek said in the meeting.
The transition will happen on April 14, according to APD. The current head of the Strategy and Special Projects Division, Deputy Chief Darin Schierbaum, is being promoted to the vacant position of assistant chief of police.
Senzer was Buckhead’s police commander through the historic COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying crime spike, including the May 2020 rioting and looting in local business areas that spun out of Black Lives Matter protests about the Minneapolis police murder of George Floyd.
He also led through the beginning of the Buckhead cityhood movement that based itself on crime concerns. While crime spiked, Senzer took a zero-tolerance approach and Buckhead continues to have the city’s lowest crime rate.
“It really has been an honor to serve as the commander of Zone 2,” Senzer said in the task force meeting. “In my 26 years [in policing], this has probably been the most challenging assignment I’ve had.”
He said his new role will be “a little behind the scenes” but that he will “not be a stranger” in Buckhead.
Peek said APD is “ecstatic” about Senzer taking on the deputy chief role.
Mitchell, according to his APD biography, has been with the department since 2006. He previously commanded the SWAT team and, like Senzer, once served on the Red Dog unit, an anti-drug squad disbanded in 2011 after controversial incidents like an illegal raid on the Atlanta Eagle gay bar. Among his other work was the Gang Unit and the Auto Theft Task Force.
Mitchell became Zone 2’s Criminal Investigations Unit commander in 2018 and its assistant commander in 2020.
Zone 2 is headquartered at 3120 Maple Drive in Buckhead Village.
Update: This story has been updated with information from APD about the transition.
A garden of native plants at Sarah Smith Elementary School sounds like a nice little project, something kids and passers-by can enjoy. But it may also be the start of something much bigger for North Buckhead.
The garden project, which could start construction as soon as this summer, is intended as the catalyst for a much bigger plan in the works for pedestrian-friendly and greenspace improvements along Old Ivy, Peachtree-Dunwoody and Wieuca roads. The North Buckhead Civic Association (NBCA) calls it “Signature Streets,” and is already lining up some strong community partners.
The trio of “Signature Streets” share such major issues as a lack of sidewalks and safe crossings, and all carry a speedy river of cut-through commuter traffic.
NBCA board member Matt Oja, who lives on Old Ivy, says the effort aims to answer one big but simple question: “How do we connect the neighborhoods together, how do we connect the streets together, in such a way that people want to walk on the streets?”
The NBCA started working on that question back in 2015 with a neighborhood master plan that laid out some concepts. Some money and planning power recently became available through a Buckhead Community Improvement District (BCID) plan to turn the intersection of Wieuca and Phipps Boulevard into a roundabout. The intersection includes a small green space, the NBCA-supervised North Buckhead Park. Discussions about that turned into talk of the larger opportunities for Wieuca and other streets.
The BCID, a group of commercial property owners in the central business who tax themselves to fund various improvements, offered $40,000 for a study by Pond & Company. The recently completed initial phase looked at Old Ivy and Wiecua, but an addendum about Peachtree-Dunwoody is in the works.
Most of that area is outside the BCID’s area, but Executive Director Jim Durrett said there are still ways for it to have a role like the study funding. “We are considering whether and how to partner with NBCA going forward, with details [to be determined],” Durrett says. “We cannot spend capital dollars for construction outside of our geographical boundaries, but we can spend planning and design dollars.”
So far, the studying has produced a bevy of ideas for Old Ivy and Wieuca. They range from a multiuse trail to painted and lighted crosswalks, from road humps to separated bicycle lanes.
The existing PATH400 multiuse trail crosses Old Ivy and Wieuca at Ga. 400, so some better connections are in the plan, too. And the roundabout will contain a handful of green spaces that could double as a “gateway” to North Buckhead featuring some type of sign or public art element.
Then there are the green space ideas, like the Sarah Smith native plant garden — or gardens, really — up to four of them are on the table. The project aims to use areas around the driveway of the school’s Primary Campus at 370 Old Ivy for plantings that can also serve as outdoor classrooms and wild bird habitats. Sidney Baker, the school’s interim principal, says he’s “thrilled” to participate.
“The thought of improving some areas on our campuses with plants native to Georgia is exciting,” said Baker. “The native plants will be beautiful to the birds and butterflies that will find nectar, seeds and pollen there. Students will learn the importance of the environment and can become involved in caring for the area. I salute the work of the North Buckhead Civic Association and am proud they have included Sarah Smith Elementary in the street beautification project.”
Oja and NBCA President Robert Patterson says there’s more to be done in coordinating with Atlanta Public Schools and securing funding, with an application for up to $6,500 from the City’s Community Impact Grant program in the works. Neighborhood Planning Unit B (NPU-B) on March 1 agreed to endorse the grant application at Patterson’s request. NBCA expects to hear about the grant in April or May, but Patterson says there’s already enough in the bank to get started.
“We expect to do the project whether we get the grant or not,” he said, adding that design will start soon, with Phase 1 construction as early as the summer. Next year, the NBCA would aim to raise more money for another phase.
If all goes well, Patterson says, the school’s Intermediate Campus at 4141 Wieuca could get the same sort of garden treatment.
But that’s just the start. As Patterson told NPU-B, the school garden is intended as “the catalyst for a much bigger project” — the whole “Signature Streets” program.
Of course, most of the items in the plan would cost a lot more than a few thousand dollars and require serious engineering. The “Signature Streets” plan itself isn’t done yet, with that Peachtree-Dunwoody addendum expected to wrap up around late April.
But, Oja says, initial response from City officials and potential private funders is “very, very good” — including some statement that if the NBCA can pull off some of these improvements, it could be a model for other neighborhoods. Among the many funding possibilities are latching onto an infrastructure bond and a transportation special local option sales tax that the City is putting on the May primary election ballot.
As the school pilot project shows, the NBCA doesn’t intend to wait around for all of the pieces to come together. Oja says that “we don’t know how long it will take to implement any of this… but we want to do it sooner rather than later. The last thing we want to do is have a plan and put it on a shelf.”
To learn more, see the NBCA website.
Expansive skyline views and plant-covered walls are among the features of a new community space the tech company Salesforce is opening on the top floor of its Buckhead office tower.
The “‘Ohana Floor” occupies the 34th story of the Salesforce Atlanta Tower at 950 East Paces Ferry Road. The company offered a preview of the space March 2 in advance of an expected availability in August.
Offered for free to select nonprofit and civic groups for major events, ‘Ohana Floors are a component of six Salesforce towers in the U.S. and London, with several more planned around the world. “‘Ohana” is a Hawaiian term for extended family that the California-based software company uses in a broad sense of social engagement.
The ‘Ohana Floor is not the place you will be holding a birthday party or wedding. Salesforce vets would-be renters as nonprofits, non-governmental organizations and foundations with “a focus on humanitarian, social, educational or environmental causes,” according to a press release. The Salesforce website says the floor is suitable for receptions, fundraising galas, “executive-level board meetings” and seated dinners.
Other ‘Ohana Floors have been popular, according to the company’s website, with renters restricted to one event every 12 months and a six-month lead time on reservations. In addition, all reservations have been suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Atlanta ‘Ohana Floor has a capacity of 150 and includes such features as a coffee bar and a chef’s table.
Warren Wick, Salesforce’s North American president, led a ribbon-cutting at the March 2 event. Appearing with, including for a ceremonial blowing of a seashell, were Danny and Anna Akaka, Hawaiian culture experts who frequently appear at resorts and corporate events.
Among the public officials in attendance were Atlanta City Council President Doug Shipman, City Councilmember Matt Westmoreland, state Rep. Betsy Holland (D-Atlanta) and Gabriel Sterling, the Georgia elections official known nationally for sparring with former President Trump over 2020 conspiracy theories.
“Salesforce has contributed to the innovation, economic growth and social impact in Atlanta for years,” said Shipman in a press release after the event. “The opening of the Salesforce Tower Atlanta ‘Ohana Floor is another example of how the company continues to invest in the community. We’re delighted to have this beautiful space available to our city.”
The Buckhead tower is the regional hub for Salesforce, which opened Atlanta offices in 2013. In 2018, the company announced a multimillion-dollar expansion of the offices and received a $2 million state grant as an incentive. The company promised to add 600 jobs over the next five years and now says it has already exceeded that goal with more than 1,000 jobs.
The company said that over the years, it has given $4.6 million in grants to local nonprofits and its staff has volunteered for more than 71,000 collective hours in the area.
For more scenes from the ‘Ohana Floor preview, see our gallery below. For more details about rentals, see the company’s website.
Switchyards, Atlanta’s homegrown mix of cafe and co-working space, has come to North Buckhead as part of the renovation of the Piedmont Center office mega-complex.
The Buckhead location opened Feb. 22 in Building 3 of the complex at 3565 Piedmont Road. During a visit by Buckhead.com three days later, dozens of customers were already occupying work tables and soundproofed “phone booths” that are among the several amenities.
Catherine Braun, the location’s manager, or “clubkeep” in company lingo, says the clientele so far was a mix of freelancers, remote workers and employees of corporations that cover the membership fee.
“Something we’re seeing in recent years is, a lot of jobs could have been remote the whole time,” she said.
It’s the fifth location of Switchyards since its Downtown debut in 2016. The concept is the brainchild of Michael Tavani, an Atlanta startup guru who previously co-founded the once-popular online marketplace Scoutmob. He has since opened locations, called “neighborhood clubs,” in Cabbagetown, Decatur and the Westside.
The concept revolves around well-appointed seating areas with hip decor and a small-menu cafe with unlimited coffee and tea included in a relatively low monthly membership fee. A $50 membership gives access to both the Buckhead and Cabbagetown locations, which are open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. A $100 membership grants access to all locations, which have 24/7 access.
“We were inspired by the scale, setting and location of Piedmont Center, and saw an incredible opportunity to open a new location that’s convenient and unique for members,” said Tavani in a press release. “Nestled within a canopy of trees in the middle of the city and surrounded by open-air spaces, walking trails and accessible parking, we’re thrilled to bring Switchyards to Buckhead and give the community a place to concentrate and recharge.”
The idea of Switchyards is a place to focus on work. For those with a more hardcore definition, the Buckhead and Decatur locations have a quiet room, dubbed the library, for what Braun calls “more of a deep-focus vibe.” (The Decatur location was originally pitched online as a “private library” called “The Library of Deep Work and Focus,” which drew some social media criticism and mockery.) The soundproof booths at Buckhead are already popular enough that Braun sometimes needs to call a time-out on users.
For more decorative purposes, the location has an actual antique phone booth, too. Above the coffee counter is an analogue population counter for Atlanta, echoing a historic one outside the historic Darlington apartment building on Peachtree Road.
Each location has what Braun calls “Easter eggs” amid the decor for patrons to discover as “surprise and delight.” In Buckhead, the theme is cats, which pop up in various artworks and even business-card holders.
Braun estimates about a third of the regular customers so far are in the tech world. Some customers work remotely for out-of-state businesses. Some are between home and the traditional office with their employer covering the Switchyards membership. And the spot is popular with freelancers, such as journalists, artists and graphic designers.
Braun, whose previous jobs included working the desk at the legendary Hotel Clermont, says the staff’s job is to make Switchyards not just another co-working spot, but something with the familiar touch of being a regular at a cafe.
Switchyards occupies about 5,500 square feet of what was formerly an accounting firm in a circular building in Piedmont Center. It fronts on a courtyard that includes a putting green — with clubs available within Switchyards — and a bocce court.
The courtyard is part of an updating of the enormous, 14-building, 50-acre complex by Ardent Companies, which fully acquired the site last year. The complex remains a tricky maze of towers and multi-level parking decks, but finding Switchyards was easy enough thanks to some improved signage.
“We know the market’s office and residential community is looking for a place outside of the home and office to recharge and connect with others,” said Ardent CEO Matt Shulman in a press release. “We’re confident that Switchyards will be an incredible amenity for not only Piedmont Center’s tenants, but for the entire Buckhead community.”
For more information, see the Switchyards website.
Mayor-elect Andre Dickens’ inaugural weekend schedule includes a New Year’s Day cleanup at a small Buckhead park.
That’s in advance of his Jan. 3 inauguration at Georgia Tech’s Bobby Dodd Stadium.
The Little Nancy Creek Park cleanup is one of only three such in-person events on a schedule that also includes the likes of Piedmont Park. There’s no mention of the Buckhead cityhood controversy, but the political touch is obvious as Dickens has promised to pay better attention to the neighborhood than incumbent Keisha Lance Bottoms as a way to stave off the secession.
The lead-up to the inauguration begins with the “Community Service Day” on Saturday, Jan. 1, which has many virtual and do-it-yourself options as well as a few organized, in-person events. The cleanup at the 5-acre Little Nancy Creek Park at 4012 Peachtree-Dunwoody Road in North Buckhead is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Other in-person events that day include assembling personal hygiene kits at the C.T. Martin Natatorium and Recreation Center in Southwest Atlanta and “community Wiffle ball games and outreach activities” at Midtown’s Piedmont Park.
That evening, 5-7 p.m., a community reception and block party will be held at Pullman Yards in Kirkwood.
On Sunday, Jan. 2, a virtual “Interfaith Prayer Across Atlanta” is scheduled for 4 p.m.
Then comes the swearing-in of Dickens and the gathering of the new Atlanta City Council on Monday, Jan. 3 at 1 p.m. Attendance will be limited.
All in-person attendees will have to wear a mask and show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test taken within the previous 24 hours. For full details, see the inaugural website at MovingATLForward.com.
The spirit of Buckhead heads forward. This is the way it has been, and perhaps this is the way it will always be. The spirit of Buckhead points forward. You see it in the way we work, and you see it in the way we play. The reach is always extending further. The search is for excellence and beauty and grace and vibrancy.
We are a community of individuals. We are diverse, we are dynamic, and we are discerning. We are builders. We are connected to one another with a common bond. A common dream. A common quest. Pointing life in one direction. Forward.
