Addendum to a Phase I Archaeological Resources Survey of the Proposed South Atlanta Street (SR 9) "Historic Gateway" Corridor Improvements

In February of 2017, AECOM conducted an addendum Phase I archaeological survey of a 1.3 mile (mi) long portion of the proposed South Atlanta Street (State Route [SR] 9) "Historic Gateway" Corridor Improvements Project located in Fulton County, Georgia. AECOM conducted the original archaeological survey in 2012, 2013, and 2015 (Pappas 2016). During those investigations, AECOM identified 12 previously recorded archaeological sites and one archaeological isolated find within its survey area. This investigation examined approximately .99 acres (ac), and it revisited Site 9FU226.

The SR 9 portion of the expanded project proposed to remove the reversible lanes along SR 9, replace the SR 9 bridge over the Chattahoochee River, and replace the bridge on Riverside Road over Vickery Creek. The existing right of way (ROW) varies from 50-100 feet (ft.) and the proposed project has some limited ROW impacts along the corridor. The project may entail up to 30 ft. of required ROW along SR 9. The current three-lane reversible roadway along SR 9 will be improved to a divided fourlane highway with a median. That median will support large oak trees from Riverside Road/Azalea Drive to Warm Springs Circle. North of Warm Springs Drive, the roadway will transition to a narrow, continuous median between dual-lane roundabouts at Jones Drive and Chattahoochee/King Street. Those roundabouts will facilitate left turns to and from driveways through the "historic district" portion of the corridor. The project also proposes to install sidewalks and a multi-use path on both sides of SR 9 for the length of the project. Such a path would connect the Chattahoochee River trails with the Historic Square in Roswell. A High-Intensity Activity crosswalk (HAWK) pedestrian signal is included between River Mill Circle and Chattahoochee Circle to connect the apartments on the west side of SR 9 to the multi-use trail, and transit stops on the east side of SR 9. Following the completion of the road work, retaining walls will be constructed on sections along the improved corridor.

Site 9FU226, the Barrington Hall historic property, fell within the proposed easements for the construction of pedestrian amenities along King Street near its intersection with SR 9. The ca. 1839 Greek Revival style residence and its associated grounds were listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1971 (NRHP 1971), and they were designated Site 9FU226 in 1979. The resource was determined to be eligible under criteria A and C for significance in architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning. During a 1997 archaeological survey for then-proposed improvements to SR 9, a single quartz flake was discovered on the ground surface within the boundaries of Site 9FU226 (Gantt 1997). Site 9FU226 was not subjected to subsurface testing during AECOM's 2016 archaeological survey (Pappas 2016). Changes to the proposed project corridor necessitated this addendum survey. The proposed ROW totals 3,982 sq. ft. and is comprised of 454 square (sq.) ft. of temporary easement and 3,528 sq. ft. of permanent easement. The proposed ROW along King Street extends 25 ft. from the existing ROW at its widest point and has a length of approximately 195 ft.

Investigation of Site 9FU226 within the proposed construction easements did not reveal the presence of archaeological deposits. No artifacts or features were discovered during shovel testing nor were any observed on the ground surface. Due to the lack of archaeological deposits within the surveyed portion of Site 9FU226, the portion of the site within the project area of potential effect for the present project does not possess those qualities of integrity and significance as defined by the NRHP Criteria for Evaluations (36 CFR 60.4[a-d]). This addendum to the original 2016 report (Pappas 2016) addresses the evaluation of previously recorded Site 9FU226, Barrington Hall, within the project corridor.