The Austrian economist Joseph Schumpeter is credited with coining the term “creative destruction” – meaning, in capitalism, old structures and old businesses are constantly being destroyed and new, more efficient ones replace them. There are few cities in the country that demonstrate this more than Atlanta.
If it is old, we tear it down. That’s the Atlanta way. Attend any Atlanta Preservation meeting and you can hear the stories of all that has been lost – some true gems among them like Terminal Station, once Atlanta’s transportation hub and considered by many as the city’s greatest architectural loss. Heck, we got within a whisker of tearing down the Fox Theatre to build a parking lot.
But here and there remain some Atlanta institutions. Among them, the political and social hub that is Manuel’s Tavern.
The perennial top 5 finisher in James Magazine’s top political hangouts, located on North Avenue in the Poncey-Highlands neighborhood of Atlanta has been the home for journalists, political activists and thirsty patrons since 1956. Manuel’s has seen three presidents pass through its doors and every mayor of Atlanta going back decades has made the pilgrimage at some point.
It was listed specifically under “Criterion A” in the area of “social history as an Atlanta cultural institution and for its association with the undercurrent of Atlanta’s political and social realm.” There are four criteria for being listed in the National Register – Associative value (Criteria A – like Manuel’s, and B): Properties significant for their association or linkage to events (Criterion A) or persons (Criterion B) important in the past. Design or Construction value (Criterion C): Properties significant as representatives of the manmade expression of culture or technology. Information value (Criterion D): Properties significant for their ability to yield important information about prehistory or history.
The official release from the Department of Natural Resources notes that despite its residential setting, people from all walks of life and all parts of the city came to enjoy a meal and a beverage.
“Journalists, politicians, police officers, members of the clergy, and people from all walks of life found a welcoming watering hole where discussions were open and debates were encouraged. Political campaigns were announced at Manuel’s, debate and election results watch parties were hosted in its dining rooms, and the Atlanta Press Club held its monthly meetings here until the 1980s.”
Founder Manuel Maloof had his own political career in DeKalb County but kept running the tavern before handing it off to sons and nephews over the years. The tavern saw a major renovation in the last few years and there are now townhomes in what was once the Manuel’s parking lot but the inside remains nearly identical as to decades before.
In a statement released on social media, Manuel’s said “Wow. We are so proud of this. In the middle of everything going on, we’ve received this really cool honor.”
With the announcement, congratulations poured in on social media, with people remembering their own best times at Manuel’s, from rehearsal dinners to noting the meeting of parents there in the 1970s.
It’s a strange and scary time to be in the restaurant industry, with COVID-19 shutting everything down for some time and now, with limited ability to serve dine-in patrons. Manuel’s has been serving take-out orders since the beginning with a limited menu, slowly adding items as business has been picking up the past few weeks. Just this week, they have opened back up to in-house dining.
If you want to have a burger and a beer at a historic place in Atlanta, now it’s official.
