Howell Interlocking Historic District

Howell Interlocking Historic District covers a dense rail-side corridor of factories, warehouses and commercial buildings northwest of downtown Atlanta. At its center is Howell Interlocking, a 20-acre triangular junction of four rail lines, once filled with spur tracks and freight cars and overlooked by a tall control tower. Around it stand four large industrial complexes: the E. Van Winkle Gin and Machine Works, begun in 1889; the King Plow Company; the White and Star Provision meat-packing plants; and the Puritan Chemical Company. The Ashby Street Car Barn and smaller commercial and warehouse buildings along Marietta Street, Brady Avenue and Howell Mill Road complete the district. Most buildings are brick, many with heavy timber interiors, and were built to be served by the railroads. The district was listed because it is the largest intact concentration of historic industrial and commercial buildings in this stretch of the Marietta Street corridor. Today many structures hold lofts, offices, studios and restaurants, though some are vacant.