Those Suspiciously Un-American Multi-Unit Dwellings

Below are three very different examples of multi-dwelling units in Decatur, GA.


The first two pics above are of Ponce de Leon Court, which sits right outside of downtown Decatur. A rarity in the South, this type of typical bungalow court is usually found out West, as documented in our readings. I've heard that this is actually the only bungalow court in all of Georgia...and while this obviously can't be observed from just looking at it, the apartment building above is especially unique to the South and definitely has a Southwestern flair. And while the bungalows in the first pic are quite common in the area, such an old development on a cul-de-sac is also quite unique on the East Coast.

In terms of clientele, this development is technically a predecessor of the subdivision, built on the close outskirts of cities to for both families looking for detached housing and those looking for an apartment. The combination of both an apartment and detached housing represents an early experiment with multi-dwelling units and how to accommodate a variety of upper class clients. Since it was built early in the 20th century, there is little accommodation for the automobile, either for the bungalow or the apartment. For that reason a majority of parking today is done on the street.

This post-war apartment, sitting on a Decatur side street in a largely historic neighborhood is relatively plain, with little more than small metal awnings over the doors and a brick facade to qualify as "aesthetics", but its actually quite an interesting building. Even though its probably post-war, there is no accessible parking provided near the front doors. There is a short dead-end driveway along one side of the property but no parking in the rear. Plus the front door to each unit has no pathway to the street. With only three points of entry to the building, it can be deduced that this building either has interior hallways with individual units off of it, or it just has three massive units. I would suspect the former. The sparse exterior and limited number of windows and visible amenities signals that this structure was built for middle to lower class residents.


This final example of a multi-dwelling building is the 335 W. Ponce condominiums along Ponce de Leon Ave. in downtown Decatur. This structure is obviously much newer than the previous two examples, demonstrated by the very modern design (brick/stucco combo, floating balconies, small, square single-pane windows). This building's clientele is more in line with those of the bungalow court than the post-war structure on Northern. Units are relatively large and each resident is provided with their own balcony. Additionally the building is designed with first floor retail, signaling a part of the late 20th century movement to bring mixed use buildings back to our downtowns.