Architects ask what strategic Old Fourth Ward lot could become

Josh Green

Fri, 02/07/2025 – 15:54

Call it preemptive city planning. Pie-in-the-sky dreaming. Or a fresh approach to architectural design in Atlanta that could pay dividends for neighborhoods.

Whatever the case, local architecture and design firm More Than Matter has turned its focus to a specific piece of an intown property that’s top-of-mind for many urbanists and Old Fourth Ward residents right now: Atlanta Medical Center’s shuttered campus, where demolition is moving forward this month for a massive, still-undefined redevelopment.

More Than Matter has put together a process of thinking in a public forum about alternative uses for lots in strategic, impactful places around Atlanta. The firm has recently released a fictional “listing”—note the brokerage name: Unreal Estate—for 345 Boulevard, a blank palette across the street from AMC’s main buildings.

The architects have set the “sale” up like a faux auction, with an end goal of designing a solution for the AMC site and others, but only if public interest warrants it, according to More Than Matter’s lead architect Wilson Carroll, a Georgia Tech graduate and lecturer.

Think of it like Kickstarter for architecture; when subject properties reach certain support goals, they go “under contract,” and More Than Matter’s design process begins.

“This is an experimental new format—one we hope brings a little joy and agency to the city,” Carroll tells Urbanize Atlanta. “We would start a concept once a [reserve support amount] is reached and invite all the participants to join in on the design process with a couple of presentations.”

Overview of the 1.1-acre property in relation to AMC, Boulevard, and other O4W landmarks. Google Maps

To be clear, the 1.1-acre plot isn’t currently for sale, though Zillow suggests the land alone could fetch $3.4 million.

It’s owned by Wellstar, which also owns AMC, and carries a C-2 commercial zoning classification. Redevelopment maps put together by Wellstar and its development partners show the property included in AMC redevelopment plans.

Nonetheless, as of this writing, the 345 Boulevard site has garnered 91 “backers” via More Than Matter’s website.

The firm’s first listing—the vacant, 9.4-acre 75 Hilliard St. property in Sweet Auburn—has tallied 429 backers of the required 1,000.

“It’s not often a city gets the opportunity like this,” reads the summary for 345 Boulevard. “To lose a trauma center and needed health access, Atlanta needs its replacement to bring even more life.”

What could that entail? Only time—and just maybe, the people of Atlanta—will tell.

The Wellstar-owned 345 Boulevard lot, as seen in November.Google Maps