​A Gift to the Community by the Community

After the construction of the Downtown Connector, a leftover triangle of land adjacent to St. Luke's was an unsightly piece of dirt surrounded by a chain-link fence topped by barbed wire. In 1991, forward-thinking citizens decided to turn the 1.35 acres into a community park. With the support of the Georgia DOT, individuals and corporations donated money to beautify this space that became a gift “to the community by the community.”

​Poet and Pulitzer Prize nominee Dr. Pinkie Gordon Lane wrote The Garden to honor the 1995 dedication of The Park at St. Luke’s:

We find our way into the garden
among begonias and pink roses.
They have masterminded consciousness,
governed the way we view the world.
Canna lilies, hydrangeas
flourish with a vengeance.

Subdued in their presence,
we are part of wind-borne
wildness and cultivated life nourished
by soil beneath the feet.

Let all invade the air,
rule the sculptured angles
of this church - -

in the rush of mornings
or resonating Sunday anthems
where light moves in and out
of eves. We feel the power
of The Garden - - life
still waiting to burst forth.

The structure stands
     tall      
          stalwart
                       vibrant
                                  still

defined by all that breaths - -
reminder of the hands
that molded mortar, crafted art
cradled seeds to form the garden
of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church.

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435 Peachtree Street, NE | Atlanta, GA 30308 |  [email protected]