History
Atlanta developer Walter H. "Chief" Aiken opened the Waluhaje Hotel Apartment building on West Lake Avenue in northwest Atlanta in 1951, serving Atlanta’s development post-war Westside.
Located in Atlanta’s West Lake Community, Waluhaje Apartments was a multi-purpose development that included apartment residences, hotel rooms, and entertainment facilities. The complex gained notoriety for its ballroom which hosted many of the top jazz performers of the era.
The Waluhaje hosted performing artists, such as Duke Ellington, Ray Charles, and others who could not secure lodging in Atlanta’s segregated hotels. The Waluhaje was featured in the famous Green Book travel guides published in the 1930s through the 1960s, listing establishments where Black travelers were welcome.
Walter Henry "Chief" Aiken was an American football coach, college athletics administrator, and real estate developer. He served as the head football coach at both Atlanta University and Clark College in Atlanta, Georgia, which later merged to form Clark Atlanta University. After assisting head football coach Tubby Johnson at Fisk University in 1929, Aiken was hired at the athletic director at Clark in 1930 to succeed Sam B. Taylor.
After Aikens sold the property in 1967, Job Corps moved in 1969 and began providing residential educational and vocational training at the site until closing in 2017.
Mr. Aiken's estate, nearby on Simpson Road, was also known as Waluhaje. Upon the death of Mrs. Aiken in 1992, the house was willed to Clark Atlanta University, for use as their Alumni Conference Center.
New Development Plans for Heritage Village
An oasis nestled in a once rich and vibrant community, the redevelopment and preservation of this gem will be the catalyst for economic and community development that this Westside community needs and deserves. Heritage Village @ West Lake allows community rebuilding to start with the most vulnerable, hard to reach and lower-income populations.
Heritage Village at West Lake site is a full rehabilitation site with 5 story's, multi-family residency located at 239 West Lake Avenue, Northwest, Fulton County, Georgia 30314. The building contains 102 units consisting of one (1) bedrooms and a total of 61,380 square feet.
Quest strives to promote integrated access to resources in its communities regardless of ability status. All services and resources will be offered to all residents. Finally, the development team has envisioned this site as a multi-phase and multi-use community. The future uses that we foresee will encourage residents from the larger West Lake neighborhood to partake in the events and resources that we will be offering.
The Quest and Columbia Residential development team seeks to respect and honor the history of the site. The main building of the site currently houses 150 SRO units over four floors. We propose consolidating many of the spaces to provide 123 units. Quest will continue to focus on providing stable and affordable housing, with services, to vulnerable populations.
Quest will be partnering with CHRIS180 and set aside 24 units that will provide permanent supportive housing to single 18 – 24 year old men and women who are aging out of the foster care system. We will support their growth and stability by providing job and life skill training on site, as well as entrepreneurial incubator space.
Property Details
239 West Lake Avenue NW
Preservation . Health + Supportive Services
Financial + Workforce Development .102 Units
Investors
Westside Future Fund
Enterprise Community Partners
Corporation for Supportive Housing
Atlanta Emerging Markets
Office of Planning and Budget
Partners for HOME
Annie E. Casey Foundation
Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta
Atlanta Housing
Capital Impact Partners
Home Depot Foundation
Truist Bank
City of Atlanta
Invest Atlanta