5 days ago
Long-endangered Atlanta building getting new lease on life
A historic building that has been vacant for decades Downtown is about to get a new lease on life.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens celebrated the start of the 143 Alabama revitalization project on Thursday. He was joined by Joel Reed, Southeast Market President, Gorman & Company, and Eloisa Klementich, President and CEO, Invest Atlanta.
The building, constructed in 1947, once housed the Atlanta Constitution and Georgia Power.
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Phase 1 of the project will restore the historic structure and make the first floor ready for commercial use.
It also includes converting the upper floors into 50 affordable housing units available at 30 to 80 percent of the area median income.
Phase 1 plans includes 5,575 square feet of commercial space.
Plans for Phase 2 include new 151-unit affordable housing building on the surrounding property.
Once complete, the site is expected to add more than 190 affordable housing units to Downtown Atlanta.
The 143 Alabama renovation plan is part of a larger effort set to transform 2 Peachtree, 104 Trinity, 184 Forsyth and other sites in Downtown.
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143 Alabama, considered an Art Moderne structure, has withstood nearly 50 years of neglect, as well as demolition proposals, the The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation said.
The historic building advocacy group said 143 Alabama was known as 'The Heart of Atlanta' because of its proximity to downtown Atlanta's historic railroad junction.
Atlanta Constitution occupied the building from 1947 until the paper consolidated with the Atlanta Journal in 1955, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation said.
Georgia Power moved into the building in 1955 and moved out in 1972. The building has been unoccupied and neglected since then.
The building was added to the 2003 List of Endangered Buildings.
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