Pavers Project
In 2015 Historic Oakland Foundation partnered with the City of Atlanta to restore around 8,000 square feet of hexagonal pavers installed in the early 20th century. Walkways near the Memorial Drive pedestrian gate, the Confederate area, the Bobby Jones area, Jewish Flats, Jewish Hill, and the East Hill (also known as Rogers Hill) sections had become broken and unstable. The restored walkways provide safer and more appealing access to these parts of the cemetery.
Nearly all of the pavers in this section had been damaged by vehicles parking on them, tree roots, and settling over time leaving walkways in a broken, unstable condition that was unsafe for visitors.
PROJECT STATUS
Total Cost: $70K
The Process
The Process
The 18” hexagonal pavers are a historic material also found throughout many of Atlanta’s early neighborhoods. We felt it was important to restore such a significant vernacular building material the right way, so we selected a locally produced and custom-colored paver to match our original pavers. We also sought to reuse historic pavers wherever we could find them from other sources within the city.
Our PRO Team supervised the removal of the damaged pavers and excavation of about seven inches. Crusher run gravel was filled in and compacted to make a firm base. Finally we set the new pavers with polymeric sand, which hardens but remains somewhat flexible.
The Results
Visitors can see the results of the restoration, which cost about $70,000, along the road at our Memorial Drive pedestrian entrance, directly across from Six Feet Under. The restored pavers also take guests past the Confederate, Bobby Jones, Jewish Flats, Jewish Hill, and Rogers Hill sections all the way towards the east wall on Boulevard.