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Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce records

 Collection
Collection number: ahc.MSS1077

Scope and Content

This collection contains business documents generated and collected by the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. The bulk of the material is meeting minutes created by the Chamber and its various councils. There are also publications of the Chamber, administrative and institutional records, and various documents describing the establishment of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), airports in Atlanta, and the Atlanta Region Metropolitan Planning Commission. Material includes books of minutes; correspondence and memos; clippings, publications, pamphlets, and booklets; reports and plans; and scrapbooks.

Dates

  • 1883-2012, undated

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. All requests to publish, quote, or reproduce must be submitted through the Kenan Research Center.

Administrative/Biographical History

The Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce is a private, independent organization founded in 1866 by local business leaders. Originally known as the Atlanta Board of Trade, the organization sought to lower freight rates for the region and to promote direct trade with European nations without having to ship to Northern ports. In 1893, the Chamber organized the Cotton States and International Exposition, which was held two years later at Piedmont Park. Alongside the Retail Merchants Association, the Chamber created the Southeastern Fair Association, which organized fairs from 1916 until 1933. In 1908, the Chamber raised $1.5 million dollars for sewage disposal, water works, and the creation of Grady Hospital, a crematory, and new public schools. In an effort to improve transportation, the Chamber raised money to construct the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) in 1975.

Members of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce include business leaders in the Atlanta metropolitan region; prominent members have included Delta Air Lines, Georgia Pacific, the American Cancer Society, the United Parcel Service (UPS), the Intercontinental Hotels Group, The Home Depot, and GE Energy. The Chamber is governed by a board of directors, and employs staff and volunteers to facilitate its efforts, which generally consist of promoting business development, improving the business climate of the region, and assisting with the management and growth of the metropolitan area. Examples of more recent Chamber activities include implementing two "Forward Atlanta" campaigns to attract business, promoting direct international flights through the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, working with other Atlanta area chambers to promote economic development, and assisting the city of Atlanta in securing the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games. The Chamber's headquarters has been relocated several times, and in 2008 was moved to 235 Andrew Young International Boulevard.

Extent

40.353 linear ft. (30 document cases, four half document cases, 19 oversize boxes, 1 flat file)

Language

English

System of Arrangement

This collection is arranged into six series. Series I: Meeting minutes; Series II: Publications; Series III: Administrative records; Series IV: Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority; Series V: Atlanta airports, research and development; and Series VI: Public Planning and the Atlanta Regional Metropolitan Planning Commission.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift, 1995, with subsequent additions

Existence and Location of Copies

Series I meeting minutes, and series II reports and newsletters have been digitized and are available at http://album.atlantahistorycenter.com/cdm/landingpage/collection/p17222coll1.

Description Control

This collection was processed in 2016.

Title
Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce records
Author
Leah Lefkowitz
Date
May 2016
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid is written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center Repository

Contact:
130 West Paces Ferry Road
Atlanta GA 30305
404-814-4040