Towers High School Now and Then Photos
Columbia Mall - February 2007
Planning for demolition is evident

News article and Vernon Jones' photo are from the AJC, February 12, 2007
Other photos taken by Karen Dean on February 17, 2007

Columbia Mall
Photo and news article from the AJC, February 12, 2007

The Avondale Mall took a step toward becoming history Monday as DeKalb County officials and neighborhood advocates gathered to take part in the beginning of its demolition.

DeKalb Chief Executive Officer Vernon Jones took the first swing, cracking apart faded, peach-colored stucco in a column near the entrance to the abandoned shopping center at the corner of Memorial and South Columbia drives. The building will be torn down and replaced with a new 183,000-square-foot Wal-Mart SuperCenter, and surrounding housing and retail.
Jones pulled out the contents, which included an Atlanta Journal from July 2, 1964, an unopened, 25-cent box of Bufferin, and a letter from two children.

Denise Gay Colley, then 10, and her sister, Shauna Mary, 8, were the daughters of Florence Colley, the first employee hired for one of the mall anchors — Davison's (later Macy's) department store.

In a letter penned April 30, 1964, the girls from Avondale Estates predicted: "In the future, people will be living on other planets."

Entrance to Columbia Mall at Midway Road is fenced off

The back drive going up behind Davison's is also fenced off.

Photo taken at the red light on Columbia Drive near the old ice skating rink
This entrance is also fenced off.

I was not the only one taking photos of the mall on February 17, 2007. This lady has lived in the Columbia Mall area since 1972 and she said she was glad the mall would no longer be an eyesore for her neighborhood.

Notice the roofing to the right of the main entrance is crumbling.

The front of the mall is completely fenced in, also.

Close up view of main entrance

Another view

Another view

EDITOR'S NOTE: On my way to Columbia Mall, on February 17, 2007, I tried to notice changes that had taken place around the area. The old Treasure Island building is now a Tax Commissioner's office. The Stone Mont movie theater is now dirt level in the Stone Mont shopping center. Po Folks on Memorial Drive is currently a pawn shop. The Steak and Ale in front of the old Stone Pony is now a car wash. Yes, I said CAR WASH. How an elegant Steak and Ale can become a car wash eludes me. Hall's Florist on Memorial Drive looks exactly the same as it did in the 60's and 70's and business is still booming today!

Colorized Titan reproduced with permission by Jeannine Lawrence.
Titan graphics and backgrounds for web pages produced by Karen Griffin Dean
using the original Towers Titan design.
Year 2007 photos taken by Karen Griffin Dean.
Web page COPYRIGHT © 2007 by KGDean.
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