Cecil Alexander interview, June 30, 2011

File — Box: 11, Folder: 1

Identifier: Y016_AlexanderC_20110630

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Interviewed by Harvey Newman. In this interview, Cecil Alexander recalls the history of race relations in Atlanta, and his time working as an architect in the city and with the city government. He discusses the issues around the Atlatna Renewal Committee and housing, the racially-charged political climate under Mayors Hartsfield and Allen, the redesigning of the Georgia state flag, and the Civil Rights Movement. The interview concludes with Cecil reciting a section of a peom about Georgia.

Dates

Creation: June 30, 2011

Creator

Alexander, Cecil (Interviewee, Person)

Restrictions on Access

Available in Reading Room and online

Biographical Note

Cecil Alexander was born in 1918 in Atlanta, GA to Jewish parents. Before World War II he studied architecture at Yale and MIT, before serving in the Air Force as a dive bomber in the Pacific theater. After the war, returned to architecture at Harvard, graduating with a Master's. He worked first in New York City, then returned to Atlanta. In Atlanta, he designed several large projects, include the Coca-Cola headquarters and the AT&T Midtown Center. He was also involved heavily with the civil rights movements in Atlanta, becoming personal friends witih Martin Luther King, Jr and Jessie Hill. Furthermore, he served on the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Comerce under Mayor Hartsfield and Mayor Allen. He passed away in 2013 at the age of 95.