March 15, 2024
Exciting updates from Latimer! We’re on fire with progress as work continues on our fire alarm and sprinkler systems to ensure everyone’s safety. Plus, the kids’ area got more awesome with a new TVs set up! And for all the streaming enthusiasts, we’ve got you covered with top-notch streaming equipment installed. There’s a whirlwind of enhancements happening, each adding a unique touch to make Latimer not just a space but an extraordinary experience.
February 16, 2024
Wrapping up another productive week at Latimer Hall! This week, we saw the sleek new railings go up, bathroom fixtures find their place, and the vital water line installation for the sprinkler system kicked off.
February 2, 2024
Exciting updates from Latimer Hall this week! The floors are laid, the electricians have worked their magic, and now the plumbers are on deck, bringing the fixtures to life. Stay tuned for more transformations!
January 26, 2024
Major Milestone Alert! We’ve hit some big milestones in our renovation of Latimer Hall! The floors are cozy with new coverings, and the ambiance is set just right, with light fixtures illuminating our space!
January 12, 2024
January 5, 2024
Painting done. Sprinkler and electrical systems work continues this week. We’re getting closer to opening our doors and welcoming everyone!
December 22, 2023
Latimer Hall is coming to life – walls are getting their colors, lights are brightening the spaces, and cabinets are finding their home. It’s not just a building; it’s a beacon of hope and community!
December 8, 2023
In the past weeks, a whirlwind of activity has transformed Latimer Hall: painters have brought color to our walls with the commencement of painting, the heating and air systems are receiving their final touches, the exterior stairs have been set in place, and we’ve successfully energized the building with the installation of permanent power.
November 14, 2023
November 10, 2023
Interior doors are going in, and the finishing of the drywall has begun!
November 3, 2023
Take a look as the team has been up to their elbows in drywall this week.
October 27, 2023
This week brought us another step closer to the finish line, and the end is in sight!
October 20, 2023
This week, we got the okay to close the walls and finish the drywall. Things will start to move quickly now
October 17, 2023
Making Room Campaign Update
October 13, 2023
We have been sprucing up campus landscaping, and underground electrical service is being installed. On the interior, we are in the process of getting inspections finalized so we can start finishing the drywall and start painting.
September 29, 2023
It’s time to tour the new NextGen space!
September 22, 2023
The outside got a great refresh this week. Can’t wait for you to see it in person this weekend.
September 15, 2023
First floor tour.
September 8, 2023
Progress continues as a lot of behind-the-walls work continued this week.
September 1, 2023
Last weekend we wrote more prayers and scriptures on the wall of Latimer. This week work on the plumbing, electrical, sprinkler system and drywall finishing continued.
August 25, 2023
Wow, everything is taking shape, and it looks great! Masonry work is almost complete, plumbing and electrical work continues, and the new sprinkler system is beginning to go in. Last weekend, we wrote prayers and scriptures on the walls.
August 18, 2023
We installed new windows and doors this week, and now they can start completing the stone and brickwork. We also got our steps/ramp built downstairs. The plumbers, electricians, and HVAC folks continued getting everything roughed in.
August 11, 2023
Significant changes this week, walls are framed in, and electrical work has started.
August 4, 2023
We got concrete poured this week, and framing continued. The space is starting to take shape.
July 28, 2023
Prep for concrete started, framing and drywall continued, and so much more this week. It is so exciting to see all the work getting done.
July 21, 2023
We are moving right along as framing and drywalling continues.
July 14, 2023
The plumbers finished up the drain lines and our plumbing inspection is completed and we are approved to move forward! Framing also continued upstairs and downstairs.
July 7, 2023
The plumbers started putting in the drain lines this week, and the heating and air team continued installing the duck work.
June 30, 2023
This week, the concrete was cut for all the new bathrooms, and our new front entrance was framed in.
June 28, 2023
Exciting Making Room Campaign News
1.) $40500 in new pledges
2.) June disbursement was larger than May because we shifted from demolition to construction which by nature involves an up-front payment.
3.) THANK YOU once again to all who are giving, pledging and praying
June 23, 2023
Big changes this week. Windows and wall are being framed. Ceiling in the NextGen area is looking great.
June 16, 2023
Work continues with the old doorways rebricked, new ones opened up, drywall is being hung, and much more.
June 15, 2023
Making Room Campaign Update
June 9, 2023
Demo is pretty much wrapped up and rebuilding has started!
June 2, 2023
Demo is getting close to being wrapped up and the HVAC system is starting to go in.
May 26, 2023
They are making great progress with demo. And have started recycling bricks to reuse in them in other areas.
May 19, 2023
Demolition continues.
May 15, 2023
We kicked off demolition in Latimer Hall today. Thank you to everyone who joined us with the first hammer swings, including special guest Mayor Michael Caldwell and long-time member Juanita Hughes.
May 10, 2023
We are ready for demo and construction to start, next week.
May 9, 2023
Latimer Hall History, as of January, 2023
The Latimer Hall story begins with a look at the City of Woodstock in the early 1960s. As the southernmost municipality in Cherokee County, its population was increasing as Atlanta crept closer and closer. One aspect of the growth was the need for better communication systems. There were five separate and independent telephone companies in Cherokee County, the largest being General Telephone. It was time for Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company to expand its boundaries into Woodstock by constructing a building to house their modern equipment as technology changed. Woodstock became a part of the Metropolitan Atlanta Exchange, and dial phones became the norm. Residents could call toll-free all numbers in the exchange, but to call Canton was a long-distance call. Eventually, that would change. The phone company chose a location on what was then called Church Street, a narrow little street which had served for decades as the roadway leading off Main Street to parking lots for the Methodist and Baptist churches. A short distance westward, it merged with Mill Street. Today, it is Towne Lake Parkway.
The property had been the site of the Claude Chandler family home until the home was destroyed by fire sometime before 1918. To the west, just feet away, was the Woodstock Methodist Church which began holding services in 1889. Its neighbor on the east was a brick cotton warehouse, one of six such warehouses dating to Woodstock’s thriving cotton industry of the early decades of the 20th century. Various businesses have occupied the warehouse in modern times. It holds the distinction of being the only surviving such warehouse in Woodstock.
In 1982 the City of Woodstock moved its offices from the Woodstock Depot and purchased the building at 103 Church Street from Southern Bell. Its offices included the police department, and there was a holding cell for prisoners on the lower level. Residents could pay their water bills and tax bills there, and all elections were held there. It would be used as City Hall until 1997 when offices were moved to the new Municipal Complex at, ironically, 103 Arnold Mill Road. The new city hall location was not far away, and was on the same street, just eastward from Main Street and the railroad tracks. Old maps show the street we call Arnold Mill was once known as East Church Street. Church Street is no longer on any map. It is now Towne Lake Parkway, and it comes and goes to Towne Lake.
When the Methodist Church purchased the property from the City of Woodstock, they named it Latimer Hall in honor of the Latimer family whose members had been an integral part of the congregation throughout its history.
contributed by Juanita Hughes
