The 715 Wall Is Gone. Where Does Summerhill Take Visitors to See Hank Aaron's Home Run Spot Now?

If you live in Summerhill and have family coming for Thanksgiving, the short walk to the 715 Wall is no longer part of the plan. That block wall and fence marked where Hank Aaron's record-breaking home run left Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium on April 8, 1974. In an October 22 aerial tour, Urbanize Atlanta reported that it "has since been removed."

Its replacements just aren't finished yet. Georgia State University is building a ballpark on that ground, and the plan gives the home run spot two new markers: a commemorative marker in left field, and Aaron's statue moved over from Center Parc Stadium to stand at the ballpark's main entrance. Neither is in place yet. For the rest of this season, Summerhill's Aaron history is split between a site you can't really visit and a statue that is about to move.

The Marker Was Always a Stand-In

The old wall was never part of the original ballpark. Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium was home to the Braves from 1966 to 1997, when the team moved into Turner Field, the converted Olympic stadium. After the old stadium came down, the land became parking. Atlanta News First described the monument as standing in that parking lot, at the exact spot where the ball cleared the outfield wall.

Georgia State told Urbanize that both the block wall and the fence went up after the demolition. So the piece of concrete that visitors posed beside for years was a memorial built inside a parking lot. It was never a leftover piece of the stadium. That matters for what comes next, because the new marker puts the home run spot back inside a working ballfield for the first time since the stadium was demolished.

The same footprint also hosted the Atlanta Falcons, the Atlanta Chiefs, the Peach Bowl, and Olympic baseball in 1996. Aaron's home run is the moment Georgia State chose to build the new fan experience around. Officials have called it "one of sports' most historic moments."

What Replaces It, and Where Each Piece Stands

The new venue is officially Chastain Childers Field at Bill and Susan Reeves Stadium. It seats 1,000 and costs $15.8 million, paid for with GSU Athletic Association gifts plus GSU Foundation funds and gifts. It sits just north of Center Parc Stadium, on what used to be Turner Field surface parking.

Here is where the Aaron pieces stand as of late October 2026:

The project moved fast once it got permits. Atlanta News First reported in December 2025 that the city had approved a land disturbance permit and that the contractor was already moving equipment onto the site. Ten months later, Urbanize's aerial photos showed turf and seating in place. Georgia State Athletics has said the stadium is set to open for the 2027 baseball season.

That timeline creates the gap. The wall had to go for construction to finish, and the marker that replaces it belongs to a ballpark that won't host a game until spring. Georgia State's baseball schedule page still shows the 2026 season, so no 2027 home opener date has been posted. Georgia State hasn't said whether people can walk up to the field or the marker outside game days. Until it does, plan on seeing the marker by watching a game.

Why the Neighborhood Around It Looks So Different

For anyone who last saw this area during the Braves years, the ballpark is only part of the change. Urbanize's October photos show hundreds of apartments built since the Braves left, packed close around the new diamond. That includes 565 Hank, which will overlook the field. The diamond-shaped parking area where Aaron's ball landed now sits next to housing.

Georgia State's parking plan shows where things are going. The ballpark takes 400 surface spaces in Center Parc Stadium's Green Lot, and GSU officials have said its standalone 900-space parking deck nearby was built ahead of time to replace them. Georgia State also wants the baseball venue to eventually be one piece of a larger "athletics neighborhood." That could include a softball stadium, a beach volleyball venue, tennis courts and possibly retail. So the blocks between the stadium and Georgia Avenue have more change ahead.

The baseball team is coming from Panthersville, about 12 miles east of campus. There it has played at a 500-seat venue that GSU officials described as having portable bleachers, few amenities and flooding problems. Moving to Summerhill doubles the seating and puts the team within walking distance of Georgia Avenue's restaurants.

A Visitor Loop That Works Right Now

With the wall gone and the marker not yet installed, the Aaron stop this season is the statue, followed by a walk through what the parking lots turned into. Here's a sequence that holds up through Thanksgiving week:

1. Start at Center Parc Stadium. For now, the Hank Aaron statue is still outside the football stadium, the former Turner Field, which is the closest surviving link to the Braves era. Georgia State has announced the move to the ballpark entrance but hasn't given a date, so treat each visit before spring as possibly your last chance to see the statue in its current spot.
2. Walk north toward the new ballpark. The field sits just north of Center Parc, on the old stadium's footprint. Construction is still underway, so the left-field marker isn't something you can visit yet.
3. Eat on Georgia Avenue. Two places on the strip opened this fall. Heritage, from chef Demetrius Brown and business partner Brandon Blanchard, opened September 10 at 63 Georgia Ave. SE. It has a lounge, a tasting-menu dining room and a dessert bar, as described by Rough Draft Atlanta. Two doors down at 71 Georgia Ave., Smileys Burger Club took over the former How Crispy space and opened October 1, according to The Atlanta Voice.
4. Finish at Phoenix II Park. The 7.3-acre greenspace is at Georgia Avenue and Martin Street, about a block east of the restaurant row.

If your guests arrive before Thanksgiving, they can catch a game at the stadium with the statue out front. Georgia State's 2026 football schedule has the Panthers hosting Georgia Southern at Center Parc Credit Union Stadium on Saturday, November 14, billed as "Red, White & Light It Blue / Heroes Day." Kickoff time is still listed as TBA.

Getting There While the A-Line Is Still Free

If guests are staying downtown, MARTA's Rapid A-Line runs through Summerhill on the way to Peoplestown and the Southside Trail, with rail connections at Five Points, Georgia State and Garnett. Service began April 18. MARTA's route page lists hours from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. and says fares are not being collected "until further notice."

The line is still running its first phase with some temporary stops. In Summerhill, the northbound stop is south of the Hank Aaron Drive and Georgia Avenue intersection near Chase Bank, and the southbound stop is just north of that intersection. Both put you right at the restaurant row, a short walk from the stadium. Check MARTA's page before you go, because stop locations may shift as the permanent stations open.

Where to Follow the Next Step

The next real change is the statue move and the marker installation, and both depend on the ballpark being finished. Georgia State's baseball park project page is the university's official source on the site and its tribute to the April 8, 1974 home run. Closer to home, Organized Neighbors of Summerhill has its December community meeting on Monday, December 7, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., online only. The association's calendar carries the details.

When the 2027 season opens, baseball will be played on the ground where Aaron's ball landed, with a marker in left field and his statue at the gate.

If you're thinking about what the next phase of Georgia State's athletics plans could mean for the blocks around the stadium, The Sly Team is glad to walk through it with you. Get started with The Sly Team.