Old Atlanta Prison Farm Park

Atlanta, GA

Located in Southeast Atlanta, the Old Prison Farm was the former site of a working prison farm. From the early 1900s up until 1995, inmates worked the land, producing agricultural products like vegetables, grain, dairy, and hogs. Today, its existing dormitories stand in ruins, and the site is used by the city for illegal dumping, tire fires, as well as police training. The farm is adjacent to neighborhoods and a school, and they have been subject to both air and noise pollution from its current uses.

The Old Prison Farm is the largest tract of greenspace left in Atlanta at over 300 acres. Within the site exists two ponds, as well as Entrenchment Creek, connecting to the South River basin, one of the largest water basins in Georgia. Forests, grasslands, flora, and fauna also populate the site as well. The surrounding community has identified that the Old Prison Farm should become a park. Working with the local advocacy group, Save the Old Atlanta Prison Farm, I created a future vision for the site. The design includes much needed recreational fields, gardens, historical pavilions, outdoor entertainments spaces, and nature trails. The vision incorporates and celebrates the existing features of the Old Prison Farm into the design of the park.

Services: urban design, community engagement

Collaborators: Save the Old Atlanta Prison Farm