Rich with history, the Morris Brown College Herndon stadium has become an Atlanta photo and video shoot staple. The location was named after Alonzo Herndon, a man born enslaved who would later become an incredibly successful businessman and eventually the city’s first Black millionaire.
Built in 1948, the stadium hosted many sporting events and concerts over the years, including Ray Charles’s live recording of his album “Ray Charles In Person” in 1959, the Olympic field hockey finals in 1996 and the filming of the 2006 movie We Are Marshall. Since then, this local staple has been sold due to Morris Brown’s financial struggles, and unfortunately, it’s been neglected due to successive legal issues relating to historical property deeds and land agreements.
Photos courtesy of Hadley Dye, HADS404.
During its time of neglect, Herndon Stadium has been overgrown and filled with graffiti and vandalism, leaving it in a rather decrepit state. Despite that, Atlantans haven’t forgotten this historic landmark, especially artists. Some graffiti has filled the space with brilliantly beautiful colors encompassing the field, while the overgrown parts provide a different more rural feel. Many artists have utilized these qualities, as shown below in photos taken by Ely Honkpo of designer Ash Cordisco’s collection POLAR — “a fashion collection created to portray how we can be inspired by animals for fashion rather than killing them to steal their beauty.”
Photos courtesy of Ash Cordisco. Photography by Ely Honkpo.
Herndon Stadium’s brightly colored seats remain intact, providing a popular background for many stylized photo shoots like the one pictured below. To top off the various artistic vibes represented in the stadium, the view is spectacular — it overlooks the city as well as the Mercedes Benz Stadium, another Atlanta landmark. This spot will continue to be an important place for both the city of Atlanta and its upcoming artists.
Photos courtesy Of Alita Swanson.
