Central Presbyterian Church (Atlanta)
Central Presbyterian Church is a historic church at 201 Washington Street SW in Atlanta, Georgia. It was founded in 1885 and was added to the National Register in 1986.
Its tumultuous history includes its difficult separation from the First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta in 1858, occupation by Union forces in 1864, and trials of church members for offenses such as allowing dancing at a teenager's Christmas party during the 1880s.
Following this “reign of terror” against “errant members" and then a period of healing, the church began to emphasize social justice. During the 1930s, it became known as "the church that stayed" as other churches abandoned central Atlanta for the suburbs. Following the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King's assassination in 1968, the church focused on building bridges between white institutions and the African-American community.
