Atlanta mayor thinks Olympic cauldron should stay in Summerhill

Dickens said the residents of those neighborhoods “stayed the course” over the last three decades.

That’s because they believed “in the promise of an Atlanta that works for everyone,” the mayor said, a city “where everyone has a seat at the table.”

But Dickens said the decision to relocate the cauldron to Centennial Olympic Park does not reflect the collaborative approach these communities deserve.

“The voices of these communities should be heard,” he wrote. “A city’s greatest moments should belong to its people first.”

Community organizers leading the charge to keep the cauldron in place said Monday they are encouraged by the mayor’s support. Dickens’ letter comes weeks after City Council members passed a resolution urging state leaders not move the cauldron, which is now owned by the Georgia World Congress Center.

Cheron Pitchford, executive director of the Summerhill Neighborhood Development Corporation, said the community’s Olympic legacy has become a central part of its identity over the past 30 years.

“It’s a very big part of our story, something we have openly celebrated,” Pitchford said. “To have this central thing taken away is the opposite of everything we have worked so hard to build.”

Pitchford noted the cauldron is used in the neighborhood’s branding, and can be seen on signs, businesses and houses throughout the area.

Credit: AJC file photo

Credit: AJC file photo

In June, Georgia State University announced a plan to relocate the cauldron, the top portion of the Olympic flame tower, to Centennial Olympic Park. That outraged Summerhill residents who argued the cauldron lit by Muhammad Ali during the opening ceremony has become a landmark in the neighborhood.

Georgia State officials referred questions to the Georgia World Congress Center, saying they haven’t been in talks with the mayor on the issue.

Residents have also complained that the decision to move the landmark downtown was made without any real community involvement.

“If they move it, there’s not really any land to mark,” said John Helton, president of the Organized Neighbors of Summerhill.

In a statement, the Georgia World Congress Center Authority said it is committed to fulfilling its role as a “thoughtful steward of Atlanta’s Olympic legacy.”

“GWCCA’s role has been to thoughtfully respond to Atlanta Legacy ’96’s request to receive the Olympic cauldron and serve as its caretaker on behalf of the organization,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “We have approached that responsibility with great respect for all those who made the Centennial Olympic Games possible.”

Helton said he’s grateful for the mayor’s support, considering an overwhelming majority of his neighbors support keeping the cauldron in Summerhill.

An online petition started by the civic organization to save the torch had gotten more than 2,100 signatures as of Monday afternoon. About two dozen former Olympians have also voiced their support for keeping the cauldron in place, Helton said.

He argued removing the cauldron while leaving the tower, the bridge and the Olympic rings intact is tantamount to “desecrating the whole thing to take the prized portion.”

“It’s like taking the diamond off a wedding set,” he said.

City Councilmember Jason Winston, who represents the area, said he’s heard from residents who are outraged by the plan.

“Folks are really hurt,” Winston said. “For 30 years this has stood in the Summerhill community, and to have it seemingly taken away from them without any community engagement is not really going over well.”

Considering the cauldron is a major part of the neighborhood’s legacy, Winston said he thinks it should stay.

What happens next remains unclear, however.

Dickens said in his letter that the city “stands ready to ensure the cauldron and the surrounding public space appropriately honor Atlanta’s Olympic legacy and the communities that have cared for it for the past three decades.”

— Staff writer Jason Armesto contributed to this story.