New Hope African Methodist Episcopal Church and Cemetery
Why it's listed
On Arden Road in Atlanta's Buckhead area, New Hope African Methodist Episcopal Church is a wood-framed, front-gabled building with two asymmetrical towers and a portico on round Doric columns. The congregation dates to about 1869 and has held the land since 1872. A fire destroyed the earlier church in 1927. The basement was rebuilt in 1928 and served as the sanctuary until the main floor was finished in 1936 by Atlanta contractor Alex Milt. Across the street, a 1.86-acre cemetery holds hundreds of graves, with the first documented burial in 1889 and probable earlier unmarked burials. Its informal layout includes limestone, granite and concrete markers and military stones. The property was recognized as a local example of a rural African-American church and cemetery that served as a religious, educational and social center after the Civil War. A 1926 parsonage, much altered in 2003, does not contribute to the significance.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the property is a good, intact example of a rural vernacular African-American church and cemetery. It documents a post-Civil War Black community in once-rural Fulton County and its religious and educational life. It is also valued for the church's design and furnishings and for the cemetery's informal historic layout and markers.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 08001281, listed January 9, 2009. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 3012 Arden Rd., NW., Atlanta |
|---|---|
| County | Fulton County |
| Listed | January 9, 2009 |
| Reference number | 08001281 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1889-1958 |
| Architect / builder | Milt, Alex - builder |
| Architectural style | OTHER: Vernacular Church |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Black, Landscape Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The church and cemetery are still in use today; the cemetery is in fair condition with some deteriorated, fallen or broken markers. |
| Acreage | 3.4 |
| Coordinates | 33.83939, -84.40483 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Religious properties are listed for their architectural or historical significance, not their religious use. Listing is honorary and does not restrict the congregation's use of the building. The federal rehabilitation credit is generally unavailable unless part of the building is income-producing; some state programmes and preservation grants do cover religious buildings. Federal funding or permits trigger Section 106 review.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 08001281.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q134323464
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.