Crescent Apartments
Built in 1899 for Cornelius Sheehan, member of a prominent Atlanta family and owner of Greer's Almanac, this house was moved in 1913 and converted into 10 apartments. Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone With the Wind, lived in the ground floor Apartment Number 1 from 1925 to 1932 with her husband John Marsh. Mitchell, a former Atlanta Journal reporter, wrote the bulk of her epic novel here between 1926 and 1930, while working at a manual typewriter on a small table in the living-room alcove overlooking Crescent Avenue.
In 1932, Mitchell and her husband moved from the declining Crescent Apartments to a nearby apartment on 17th Street at Pershing Point where she finished editing the manuscript for publication. In 1936, the book was published and became an instant success selling more than 180,000 copies in the first month. Film rights were quickly purchased by Selznick International Pictures for a record-breaking price of $50,000. Within six months, more than one million copies had been sold, and Margaret Mitchell was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for 1936. The movie opened in 1939, premiering in Atlanta. Mitchell's novel has been translated into 26 foreign languages and sold approximately 30 million copies worldwide. Revered by many, reviled by some, Gone With the Wind is arguably the most popular and influential book ever written about the American South.
Mitchell characterized her apartment on Crescent Avenue as "The Dump" and as its condition worsened, the house became known by this moniker. The once stylish turn-of-the-century home was eventually boarded up, and in great disrepair. Dedicated preservationists raised funds for its renovation in the 1990s, and opened the house to the public.
Crescent Apartments is located at 979 Crescent Ave. in north Atlanta. It is open daily from 9:00am to 4:00pm; there is a fee for admission. Call 404-249-7019 or visit the Margaret Mitchell House and Museum website for more information.
Information and photos courtesy of the National Register for Historic Places Atlanta, Georgia Travel Itinerary, a subsidiary of the National Park Service.
