1890s downtown ATL landmark up for grabs. Any big ideas?

Josh Green

Mon, 12/09/2024 – 16:00

A standout historical structure in the shadow of downtown skyscrapers is being marketed as a prime candidate for adaptive-reuse development.

Occupying the southeast corner of Edgewood Avenue and Courtland Street, across the street from Hurt Park, the 1800s building has lived past lives of many uses, and it recently hit the market with JLL in hopes of becoming something else, according to Scott Cullen, a JLL Capital Markets managing director.

The 125 Edgewood Ave. building, totaling just shy of 7,000 square feet, was completed in 1890 by developer Joel Hurt and businessman Samuel Inman in what was called “Shermantown” at the time. It’s considered one of the last “true” and “relatively untouched Victorian mansions left downtown,” according to JLL’s listing.

The asking price isn’t specified.

Courtesy of JLL Capital Markets

The 1890 structure’s location in relation to Hurt Park, the downtown Connector, and other landmarks. Courtesy of JLL Capital Markets

Having served as one of Coca-Cola’s earliest bottling operations, beginning in 1900, the building is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. Its former uses across well over a century have included a radio service store, a dry goods store, and several pharmacies, among other uses.

The building has served as Georgia State University’s Baptist Student Union since 1966 and is 100 percent occupied today, according to JLL.

But the property’s current downtown zoning (SPI-1 SA1) would allow for a range of adaptive-reuse possibilities, including residential, boutique hotel, museum, creative office, restaurant, and retail uses within a short walk of MARTA and downtown attractions, per JLL.

125 Edgewood “will continue to attract visitors curious about its unique architecture and history for years to come,” reads the sales pitch.

The building’s conversion to something else wouldn’t be the only notable change in the immediate area.

Courtesy of JLL Capital Markets

Example of interiors at the circa-1890 Edgewood Avenue building today. Courtesy of JLL Capital Markets

Across the street, a $107-million remake of properties bordering Hurt Park was recently announced by GSU, with a goal of finishing before Atlanta’s 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Just north of Hurt Park, changes are also in store for the 100 Edgewood high-rise building. According to GSU officials, the 1960s, 18-story structure will see a dining area and gathering space at its base, while the first four floors will be remade into classrooms in the near term.

Find a closer look at the 125 Edgewood Ave. property today in the gallery above.

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