The History/Mystery of the Old Stone Church in Candler Park
Compiled by Amy Meyer Burns and Edith Kelman
The “Old Stone Church” at 470 Candler Park Drive has quite a story to tell. The church, now home to the First Existentialist Congregation of Atlanta, has been a fixture in Candler Park since 1922. Yet, its part in the pioneering history of the area is unknown to many.
The church was a cornerstone for a vibrant African American working-class community that had resided in this neighborhood from the early 1870s. Many of these Black families were members and leaders of the Antioch Baptist Church, founded close by in 1874.
Around 1880, the Antioch congregation built a wooden church “for religious and educational purposes” on what is now Oakdale Road, north of McLendon Ave. That building burned to the ground under mysterious circumstances in 1916. For the next several years, the congregation held services at the African American Edgewood Evening Star Lodge nearby. In 1918, Antioch purchased property across the street from the lodge and began construction, this time building their new sanctuary out of granite from Stone Mountain. It took four years to complete; the Old Stone Church stands in the neighborhood to this day.
The congregation continued to worship as Antioch East Baptist Church, until September of 1950, when Antioch was obliged to move south of the railroad tracks by growing hostilities from White neighbors. The stone building, on its single lot of land, was bought by the Caucasian-only Candler Park Improvement Corporation/ Candler Park Civic Club and was converted into their club house. By the time they sold it to the Phoenix Unitarian Fellowship in 1977, the club had added four adjacent land lots to the original parcel.
In 1980, the First Existentialist Church took over the mortgage from the Phoenix Fellowship. Creating a welcoming space dedicated to human liberation, First Existentialist has assumed full ownership of the church and the surrounding property. As current stewards of this remarkable historic structure, First E is honored to be in collaboration with Antioch East Baptist Church, Early Edgewood-Candler Park BiRacial History Project, Mary Lin School, CPNO and involved neighbors to bring this history to public awareness.