Presented by the Buildings Worth Saving
Committee of the Atlanta Preservation Center:

2007 List of Endangered Buildings:

John Wesley Dobbs House, circa 1890
Address: 540 John Wesley Dobbs Ave., NE
Owner/Contact: Dr. Ben Blackburn, 404-659-7697, and Juliet Dobbs Blackburn-Beamon
Threat: Lack of funding for restoration

John Wesley Dobbs (1882-1961) was known as the “mayor” of Auburn Avenue, coining the phase “Sweet Auburn” in the 1930s. For almost 30 years, he served as the Grand Master of the Prince Hall Masons, which was headquartered on Auburn Avenue and contributed to civil rights causes. He believed that political power was key to economic advancement and preached the importance of voter registration in Masonic halls, in African American churches, and on street corners. He lived in this historic house for 52 years while working for civil rights and his community. His grandson Maynard Jackson was Atlanta’s first black mayor.

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