sources state the leveling of the neighborhood for the stadium was part of Mayor Ivan Allen, Jr. "vision was to build an entertainment facility that would bring black and white Atlantans together", "cradled as it was between the commercial business community and the black neighborhood of Summerhill." Other sources note that the original 1940s plan was to route the Downtown Connector freeway on the west side of downtown; the later plan to route it east of downtown was an effort to remove low-income black neighborhood and provide a buffer between the central business district and what remained of the black Summerhill, Mechanicsville and Peoplestown neighborhoods. The remaining eastern side of Washington–Rawson neighborhood was demolished in the early 1960's to make room for Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium and its parking lots. Today, the area is part of the neighborhood of Summerhill. References Atlanta History Center, photos Former neighborhoods of Atlanta