Alonzo Herndon

The theme for Black in Historic Preservation’s 2026 Program is "Been Preservation." 

by k. kennedy Whiters, RA

A key component of the program is a series of profiles of Black preservation ancestors that highlight their preservation activities and Black people's agency in the preservation field, prior to the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. 

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If you live in the Atlanta area and are a graduate or employee of Clark Atlanta University, you are familiar with the last name "Herndon," as in Clark Atlanta University’s Herndon Stadium. But, did you know that its namesake was also a Black preservationist?

Today, we are adding a footnote to Alonzo “Lon” Franklin Herndon's (1858-1927) legacy: that he was a historic preservationist. A White man enslaved his mother at the time of his birth. This same White man was his father. Fast-forward to a life of survival in the midst of White-led violence in the Atlanta area. The foundation of this life includes his success as a barber and entrepreneur who owned barber shops throughout Atlanta and commercial real estate, as well as the crown jewel of his real estate portfolio: the Atlanta Life Insurance Company Building. 

Herndon began the Atlanta Life Insurance Company in 1905. He led the adaptive reuse of the pre-1892 multi-family residential building in 1920, converting it into offices for the insurance company. The building still stands today. By 1900, out of all Black people in Atlanta, Herndon owned the most real estate.

The Atlanta Life Insurance Company Building's Timeline:

Pre-1892:  Construction year, craftspeople built the original building to serve as a YMCA

Pre-1892 - 1920:  YMCA (confirmed in the National Register Nomination Form for the Sweet Auburn Historic District)

1920 - 1980: Atlanta Life Insurance Co. offices

1927:  Atlanta Life Insurance Co. added the Neo-classical façade

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After hours of researching what one source out of many alluded to, that the original use of the building was a “residence,” I confirmed that the residential use was a YMCA after reading this in the National Register Nomination Form for the Sweet Auburn Historic District, of which the Atlanta Insurance Co. Building is a contributing member. This information confirms that Herndon and his team adaptively reused it from residential use for the insurance company’s headquarters. This information also solidifies Herndon’s place in the pantheon of Black preservationist ancestors. 

It’s important to note that the Sweet Auburn National Historic District is made possible by the Afro-American Bicentennial Corporation (ABC), a pioneering group of Black preservationists, led by the deForest Brothers of Washington, DC. Because of their requests to the National Park Service to document and include places in the US associated with Black people, these sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

What's very odd is that one of the historic signs on Sweet Auburn, a few feet from the building, does not make a strong enough connection between Alonzo Herndon and the building, nor does it mention his great financial achievements. During a trip to Atlanta in February 2026, I stopped and read the sign. It was only after returning home and analyzing each sentence in the text of the sign, plus research on Mr. Herndon’s life, that I realized that the large Neoclassical building I walked past prior to reading the sign was, in fact, the building Mr. Herndon owned, that the sign’s author alluded to.

By including the White business owner on the sign and failing to clearly identify the people in the photo as Mr. Herndon, his mother, and his brother, the sign's author/sponsor also appears to minimize Mr. Herndon and his achievements. This sign and more appear in Black in Historic Preservation's forthcoming Transformative Preservation Guide as one of the many harms in historic preservation that people in the field can address with transformative action. Attend the guide launch on Thurs., May 28, 2026.