Georgia Trust gives historic preservation grant to Atlanta’s Herndon Home Museum

On June 17, the Georgia Trust for HIstoric Preservation will present the $20,000 Wade and Mary Lu Mitchell African American Heritage Preservation Grant to the Herndon Home Museum in Atlanta. 

The funds will pay for urgently needed repairs at the Herndon Home, a National Historic Landmark and museum. The mansion was once home to Atlanta’s first Black millionaire, Alonzo Herndon. Now it’s in dire need of roof repairs to keep out water damage. 

It’s the second annual award for the grant, created by Georgia Trust CEO W. Wright Mitchell and his sister Catherine Mitchell Jaxon to honor their parents’ legacy of supporting African American causes in Atlanta. 

“My sister and I are proud to continue honoring our parents’ legacy through the grant,” Wright Mitchell said. “African American historic resources are vital to understanding the full story of Atlanta’s history, yet many remain significantly underfunded and unprotected.” 

The grant is made possible through the Mitchell Family Fund at the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta. 

— Delaney Tarr

Beltline set to complete nearly 17-mile stretch of trail with ‘The U’ 

On June 12, the Atlanta Beltline is set to cut the ribbon on “The U,” creating 16.7 miles of continuous Beltline trail – the longest completed stretch to date. 

“The U” is the project nickname for the Southside Trail Segments 2 and 3, a 1.9-mile stretch in south Atlanta. Once open, it will connect Pittsburgh Yards in southwest Atlanta to Boulevard in southeast Atlanta. 

It keeps the Beltline on track to complete all 22 miles of the trail by 2030. Once the Southside Trail is complete, visitors will be able to walk an unbroken path stretching from Buckhead to the southside, then back north to Blandtown. 

The trail will also link to the 1.6-mile Westside Beltline Connector Trail, which links the city’s “emerald necklace” to the Mercedes Benz Stadium. It will open just days before visitors flock to downtown for eight FIFA World Cup soccer matches. 

A map of the Atlanta Beltline trail status is available online. 

— Delaney Tarr

Atlanta History Center unveils massive new Civil War era exhibition this July

Atlanta History Center will open More Perfect Union: The American Civil War Era on July 10, launching the first phase of what will become one of the largest Civil War-era presentations in the country.

The exhibition occupies the fully renovated DuBose Gallery and takes a broader view of the conflict than its predecessor, Turning Point: The American Civil War, which ran for nearly 30 years. A second phase, Hard Hand of War: Soldiers, Weapons, and Mass Production, is expected to open this winter in the Goldstein Gallery. Together the two galleries will span more than 15,400 square feet, nearly double Turning Point’s footprint. Combined with existing offerings like Cyclorama: The Big Picture, the Center’s Civil War programming will cover more than 30,000 square feet.

Backed by a $16 million investment, the exhibition features rare and never-before-displayed artifacts, including an original copy of Frederick Douglass’ “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” speech, the Confederate flag that flew over Atlanta at the city’s surrender, and the battle flag of the 127th U.S. Colored Troops. Immersive media environments, interactive digital maps, and animated timelines are woven throughout the galleries alongside journals, letters, and personal objects from people who lived through the era.

The opening coincides with the institution’s centennial year. Lead curator Gordon Jones, the Center’s senior military historian, also led the original 1996 Turning Point exhibition.

— Derek Prall

Mercedes-Benz Stadium ranked best 2026 World Cup venue by USA Today

Mercedes-Benz Stadium earned the top spot in USA Today’s ranking of all 16 stadiums hosting matches in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, beating out iconic venues including Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca and SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

The publication lauded the Atlanta venue for its retractable roof, state-of-the-art video board, and in-city location, which is a distinction many other host stadiums lack. The paper also credited Atlanta United’s passionate fanbase and the stadium’s proven track record operating major soccer events as factors that set it apart. Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which opened in 2017, will host eight World Cup matches this summer.

Estadio Azteca, which has hosted two previous World Cup finals and recently underwent major renovations, came in second. SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, where the tournament opens on July 12, ranked third. Monterrey’s Estadio BBVA, known for its dramatic mountain views, took fourth.

At the bottom of the list sat MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, which USA Today called “architecturally clunky” and dinged for its suburban location and lack of a roof, despite the fact that it will host the World Cup final. Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara and Gillette Stadium in Foxborough rounded out the bottom three, with both criticized for being far from their namesake cities.

— Derek Prall

Olympic cauldron from 1996 Atlanta Games heading to Centennial Olympic Park

The cauldron that held the Olympic flame during the 1996 Atlanta Games will be relocated to Centennial Olympic Park, giving one of the city’s most iconic sporting artifacts a permanent home at the site most associated with that era.

Georgia State University, which controls the cauldron’s current location in the Summerhill neighborhood, announced the move in collaboration with 1996 Olympic Games chairman Billy Payne and former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young. The cauldron will be separated from the 120-foot Olympic Flame Tower, which will remain in Summerhill along with the adjacent bridge featuring the Olympic rings.

The tower was erected outside Olympic Stadium in 1996. That venue later became Turner Field, home of the Atlanta Braves, before Georgia State converted it into Center Parc Credit Union Stadium for its football program. The university acquired the site in 2017 and has since helped drive a mixed-use redevelopment effort across the surrounding neighborhood.

Georgia State president M. Brian Blake said the university plans to enhance the remaining tower to celebrate the connected legacies of the Games, the university, and the Summerhill community. Payne called the new placement a chance to combine the most recognizable moment of the 1996 Olympics with its greatest physical landmark.

— Derek Prall

Emory University taps University of Florida business dean to lead Goizueta

Emory University has named Saby Mitra as the next John H. Harland Dean of Goizueta Business School. Mitra, currently dean of the Warrington College of Business at the University of Florida, begins the role Aug. 1.

Mitra succeeds Gareth James, who is leaving to become dean of UCLA’s Anderson School of Management in July. The appointment follows a search led by a 16-member advisory committee and was announced by Emory provost Badia Ahad, who cited Mitra’s record leading complex academic organizations.

At Warrington, Mitra oversaw enrollment and revenue growth, expanded online graduate programs with new locations in Miami and Jacksonville, and pushed the school into AI and analytics education. Before joining UF, he spent 27 years at Georgia Tech’s Scheller College of Business, where he served as senior associate dean of programs and senior associate dean of faculty and research.

Mitra called Goizueta one of the top business schools in the country and pointed to Atlanta’s business environment as a draw. “I believe it can be one of the best business schools in the world,” he said.

— Derek Prall

The post Reporter’s Notebook: Herndon Home Grant, Beltline ‘U’, Civil War exhibition appeared first on SaportaReport.