Atlanta Honors College Namesake, Mayor Ivan Allen Jr., through Newly Dedicated Bridge in Downtown Atlanta

Path Foundation Executive Director Ed McBrayer (l) led the ribbon cutting on the Ivan Allen Jr. Legacy Bridge on Nov. 25, 2019. He was joined by Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (second from left), Beau Allen (second from right), and Jim Kennedy, chairman of Cox Enterprises Inc. (right).

The bridge symbolizes Mayor Allen's work to bridge the divides on many issues that plagued Atlanta, and the nation, during the 1960s. He worked to bring together those with conflicting opinions to achieve common goals. Initially, he believed that his beloved city of Atlanta could not thrive without the participation of all its citizens. Ultimately, he risked his life to change the hearts and minds  to bring about the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Part of Atlanta's extensive Path system, the "walking museum" connects Marietta Street to Atlanta’s Westside. By 2023, this line of The Path will extend all the way to Anniston, Alabama.

Ivan Allen IV expressed the hope that the bridge will help younger generations understand Mayor Allen's role in transforming a segregated city of the Old South into a major modern American city in which all its citizens – black and white – could flourish together.

A placard showcasing Ivan Allen's partnerships with prominent African American leaders and groups. Mayor Allen reflected that "Nothing would have worked had not both sides been able to work tegether for a better Atlanta, which was the driving force for all the leaders of Atlanta - black and white - during the sixties.

A quote from Jacqueline J. Royster, who served as dean of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts from 2010 through August 2019, was featured on one the placards on the Ivan Allen Jr. Legacy Bridge. The College is entrusted by the Allen family as steward of the Allen Legacy.

Former Ivan Allen College Dean Jacqueline Royster comments on Mayor Allen's legacy: "He was a person who was able to see, to listen, to learn to act. He was willing to see something more than he was set up to see [by his heritage as a child of Atlanta's white Southern elite].

Ivan Allen Jr. loved his home city of Atlanta and was determined that it thrive. "I cannot speak for all American cities, but I say that Atlanta did not spend the past one hundred years rebuilding from the ashes to fall prey now to corrosion, corruption and community discord."

The Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts namesake, Mayor Ivan Allen Jr., was celebrated on November 25 with the dedication of a downtown Atlanta bridge and outdoor walking museum in his name. An alumnus of Georgia Tech (Commerce 1933), Allen transformed Atlanta during his mayorship in the turbulent 1960s.

The PATH Foundation brought together the Allen family, Jim and Sarah Kennedy, and the James M. Cox Foundation to fund the project with hopes of helping younger generations understand Mayor Allen’s role in forging a new era in Atlanta, pushing forward civil rights for African Americans and creating the foundations for the modern city we know today. Among those quoted in the bridge exhibit is former Ivan Allen College Dean Jacqueline Royster.

Part of Atlanta's extensive Path system, the newly dedicated Ivan Allen Jr. Legacy Bridge connects Westside symbolizes Mayor Allen’s example in risking everything to break down the barriers of Jim Crow laws, and revitalize Atlanta as a city where all its citizens could flourish together. The bridge was designed by Mad Dworschak, Signature Design, and Perez Planning + Design who spent months researching Mayor Allen's life and accomplishments.

A series of placards runs the length of the bridge under colorful ribbons, which creates a linear timeline for visitors as they walk by. The story is divided into several themes including Allen's character, his civil rights record, his business pragmatism, his vision for the city's cultural institutions, and his collaboration with other leaders.

The bridge also offers onlookers a multimedia experience as the placards include mobile hyperlinks and QR codes that visitors can scan with their smart phone to access supplementary video content. The colors used in the display mirror Mayor Allen's story, beginning on the Marietta Street side of the bridge with traditional reds, white, and blues to signify when Mayor Allen took office. They morph into an intense palette of varied bright colors to signify the radical change of the 1960s and Atlanta's transition into an international city under Mayor Allen's leadership.

Georgia Tech's Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts is the steward of the Allen Legacy.

More about the Allen Legacy at Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech's Ivan Allen Prize for Social Courage