CBS News Atlanta Spotlights Heritage Village at West Lake, a Green Book Hotel Reborn as Affordable Housing
A Westside landmark that once gave Black travelers a safe place to stay during segregation is beginning a new chapter, and CBS News Atlanta is telling the story.
In a report published October 2, 2026, CBS News Atlanta reporter Jamal Goss traces the history of the Waluhaje Hotel, which opened in 1951 under Walter H. "Chief" Aiken. The hotel was listed in the Green Book, the travel guide that helped Black Americans find welcoming hotels, restaurants, and businesses during segregation. Its ballroom hosted community events and celebrations, and Thurgood Marshall spoke there in the 1950s, years before becoming the first Black justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.
The story also captures the personal connections people have to the property. Janice Milner, 79, grew up in a house across from the hotel and remembers the neighborhood in its heyday. QuestCDC's Tarnace Watkins shared that his parents traveled from Rome, Georgia, to spend time at the Waluhaje and attend events in its ballroom.
Today, the building is part of Heritage Village at West Lake, a QuestCDC development that preserves a piece of the site's history while creating 102 one-bedroom affordable apartments, supportive services, and workforce training. Homes are aimed at residents earning around 30% of area median income, and some will serve Atlantans who have experienced homelessness. Twenty-four units are set aside as permanent supportive housing for young adults ages 18 to 24 aging out of foster care. Founder and CEO Leonard L. Adams Jr. emphasized that the goal is to offer more than a place to live by connecting residents with services that help them build stability.
The report describes the redevelopment as a link between two chapters of Atlanta history: a hotel that offered refuge and community, and a development that offers stability today. A ribbon-cutting celebration is planned for October.
Read the full story: Historic Atlanta hotel once listed in Green Book transformed into affordable housing (CBS News Atlanta)
