What was once known as Central Avenue is now Shirley C. Franklin Blvd., SW. Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta Voice Former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Clarke Franklin was honored with a street sign and park on Thursday. A portion of Central Avenue was renamed Shirley Clarke Franklin Boulevard S.W., and West side Reservoir Park was renamed Shirley Clarke Franklin Park, stamping the legacy of the first female mayor of Atlanta and the first Black woman to serve as mayor of a major Southern city.“I learned a long time ago, you don’t do the work for the accolades or the recognition. You do the work because you love the work, because you love the people and because you’re taken by a vision,” Franklin said to the hundreds gathered at the intersection of Shirley Clarke Franklin Boulevard S.W. and Trinity Avenue, near City Hall, to celebrate Franklin and her accomplishments. Former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin on the corner of Shirley C. Franklin Blvd. and Trinity Ave., Thursday, March 27, 2025. Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta Voice “I love you, Shirley,” a man in the audience continuously yelled under the white canopy that stood under the dedicated Shirley Clarke Franklin Boulevard S.W. This sentiment carried the ceremonies, with warm remarks from Mayor Andre Dickens and former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young, WSB-TV News Anchors Fred Blankenship and  Karyn Greer, members of the Shirley Clarke Franklin Commission, Atlanta City Council, family and friends, and other Atlanta leaders.  “Her service has been exemplary. Her resolution has been commanding, and her love for all Atlantans has been inspiring,” said Robert Franklin Jr., the 10th president of Morehouse College and a member of the Shirley Clarke Franklin Commission. “May all who tread here learn of her great contributions and become better citizens. May all who travel here feel her contagious spirit of humility, service, and community building. May the wings of the phoenix now spread wide over this boulevard and transform this familiar path into sacred ground.” Former Atlanta Mayor and United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young during the street dedication to former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, Thursday, March 27, 2025. Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta VoiceThe landmarks are a testament to her hard work. Elected in 2001, Franklin served as the 58th Mayor of Atlanta for two terms. In 2005, TIME Magazine named her one of the five best big city mayors in the U.S. Amongst her many achievements, a significant focus during her time as mayor was the transformation of the city’s sewer system that had been in a state of emergency and violated the Federal Clean Water Act. She implemented the “Clean Water Atlanta” initiative, an act that affectionately led to her being dubbed the “sewer mayor” and led to the launch of the Atlanta BeltLine and the acquisition of the Westside Reservoir Park. This former quarry now serves as a regional park and emergency drinking water reservoir. Westside Park will forever be known as Shirley Clarke Franklin Park. Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta VoiceNow, the park is named in her honor to signify her efforts to elevate the city’s infrastructure. Before being elected mayor, she served as Atlanta’s second Commissioner of Cultural Affairs and launched the Atlanta Jazz Festival, the Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport Public Art Program, and the city’s art grant program. Beyond her time as mayor, Franklin has served as a leader in education, youth development, and public arts. “We knew that women could lead this city with recognition, with ambition, and that ambition and service could work in tandem. That we could be humble servants and gifts of God and fruit of trees that go from seeds we planted that we may never see, and that is what you’ve done for this city,” said Georgia State Rep. Inga Willis. “But like the garden that sits in your front yard, it grows for us in perpetuity.”Photo by Kerri Phox/The Atlanta VoiceThe post Mother of Modern Atlanta: Former Mayor Shirley C. Franklin honored with Street, Park Renaming appeared first on The Atlanta Voice. ...read more read less