East Lake Park and the Zaban Recreation Center

History of East Lake Park and Zaban Recreation Center. 

By Marissa Howard, Programs and Membership Coordinator

The East Lake Tour of Homes took place this past month. As some of you may know, in 2023, I did a walking tour of East Lake. This area continues to offer fascinating stories. Rick Baldwin, President of the East Lake Neighborhood Association, reached out to me about the Zaban Recreation Center, which was included on the walking tour.

Zaban Recreation Center sits in a square park called East Lake Park, bordered by Alston Drive to the South and Memorial Drive to the north. The recreation center was once a home. The approximate date of building is a little harder to determine, but it was probably between the 1910s and 1920s. Part of the reason for the trickiness is that the front door faces Daniel Avenue, but for much of the history that I found, its address was Alston Drive. There were also several houses on the property. 

1860s-1891

This entire section of East Lake, including the future golf course, was owned by Robert Alston. His home, Meadownook, has survived and is located on Alston Drive, about 0.5 miles west of the park. Alston died in 1879 from a duel in the state capitol, and his widow died in 1884. The 300-acre property was eventually divided up and sold. 

1910-1920

Most of East Lake Park was once owned by James Hall Miller. His father, Capt. John A Miller was the owner of Miller Union Auction House.  James purchased the property sometime around 1906 and owned it until 1920. At the time, he worked in insurance and had a summer home in East Lake, somewhere on the property. Immediately after World War I, he returned to the auction business, selling surplus U.S. military equipment. The Millers, including his mother hosted social affairs and parties, entertaining guests at their East Lake Summer home. In 1920, he built a new home in Ansley Park. He may have sold the East Lake property to finance the Ansley Park home.

1915 Maynard-Carter-Simmons map showing property owners. The area in red is today’s East Lake Park. I don’t think Herman Street was ever built.

Notice the small plot that belonged to the Atlanta Athletic Club. This section is located along Dolittle Creek and features a small pond. It was affectionately called Frog Pond. 

Looking back at the red square, the Fitten Family also had a home on a corner of this park. That home was in bad shape by the 1940s and torn down to make way for the park.

But back to the larger section (and presumably Zaban Recreation Center) of the park. The Burtons were the subsequent owners. Oren (Also spelled Oran) Burton and his family lived there for about a decade until 1930. In the 1920 census, the home was listed as unnumbered on Daniel Street, but by 1927, it was listed as 201 East Morgan, and by 1930, it was listed as 2626 Alston Drive. You can see why this property can be confusing and complicated.

Sanborn Map, 1924. The park area is outlined in red.

From this 1924 Sanborn map, we see the Zaban Community Center circled in orange. The property on the bottom corner of the red square most likely belonged to the Fittens. Notice the other buildings on the square; you can see a few outbuildings, including a barn (marked by the X). 

This Sanborn Map shows a lot of information. It has addresses, plats, and changes to properties over several decades. Initially, the map was created in 1924 and edited (with cut-and-paste). You can also see buildings that were covered up, which no longer exist. You can see two houses covered up in the corner of Alston and Daniel. You can also see that the community center has an update with the address 241 Daniel. 

1930-1942

After the Burtons left, and the Bachmans moved in. What is interesting is that the Bachmans lived at 2076 Ponce de Leon in Druid Hills from about 1927 to 1930. They then switched houses with the Burtons. The Burtons moved into the house on Ponce around 1931, and the Bachmans moved to the Burton house in East Lake. It’s an interesting trade. The home on Ponce was valued at $35,000 in 1930, and the home on Alston was valued at $17,000 in 1940. 

James Rogan Bachman was in the milling industry. He was involved with the Atlanta Athletic Club from its founding and got married at East Lake in 1913. His wife was heavily involved in the Georgia Federation of Gardens and the Georgia Perennial Club. She also helped found the East Lake Garden Club. In 1932, a major fire broke out on his property, destroying the barn and a chicken house, which housed 300 chickens. He had several horses on the property, which were saved from the fire. One of the horses was a retired firehorse from the Atlanta Fire Department. The house continued to be listed as 2646 Alston Drive.

The Bachmans lived on the property until around 1942. The city purchased the property for $25,000 and soon began developing it into a public park. 

February 1946, Atlanta Constitution