Occupying the 1857 Eastlake Victorian-style former home of Dr. Otis T. Hammonds, a black anesthesiologist and art patron, Hammonds House is a national center for the exhibition, preservation, research, and documentation of African-American art and artists. The Fulton County Commission purchased the house after Hammonds's death in 1985 with these aims in mind.

Hammonds' extensive collection included works by African-American and Haitian artists, as well as African masks and carvings. Along with later acquisitions--including works by Romare Bearden, William H. Johnson, Robert S. Duncanson, and Elizabeth Catlett--the permanent collection is shown on a rotating basis and is supplemented by exhibitions of renowned black artists from all over the world. The Resource Center on the premises, housing documents on African-American art and artists, is open to the public by appointment.

The house is located in the thriving West End neighborhood, declared a historic district in 1991. While you're in the area, take a look at the other lovingly restored Victorian bungalows and houses. A short walk away is the Atlanta University Center, the largest historically African-American education complex in the world, which includes Morehouse College. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is its most famous alumnus, and a chapel there was built to honor his memory.