It was once home to The Atlanta Constitution newspaper and later occupied by Georgia Power. But for decades, the brick Art Moderne-style building at 143 Alabama St. NW has mostly been home to trees and other greenery that stretch out from the abandoned structure.
A prior attempt to redevelop the building near Five Points didn’t bear fruit, so Atlanta leaders announced late last month they are replanting those efforts.
Invest Atlanta, the city’s economic development arm, issued a request for proposals (RFP) on June 28 for a developer to revamp the former Atlanta Constitution building. The 95,000-square-foot building, which the city bought in 1995. The agency would like to see the building reborn ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
The Atlanta Constitution had its offices at the building only for a short time. The Constitution vacated the building in 1953 when the paper merged with The Atlanta Journal. Georgia Power later operated out of the building until the early 1970s.
The building was placed on the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation’s 2024 “Places in Peril” list because of its Art Moderne architectural style, which is a rarity in Atlanta.
In 2016, Invest Atlanta placed its first public call to attract developers to transform the overgrown building and selected Pope & Land and its partner Place Properties. Their vision of turning the building into offices, retail space and 112 apartments never came to fruition and work on the structure didn’t begin.
Credit: Miguel Martinez
Credit: Miguel Martinez
“We’ve had quite a long journey in pursuit of improving that asset beginning back during the (Mayor Kasim) Reed administration straight through until about a month ago,” a Pope & Land spokesman said. He didn’t say why the prior redevelopment plan fell through but added that Pope & Land are reviewing the new RFP and will consider whether to enter a submission.
The new RFP, which was first reported by the Atlanta Business Chronicle, emphasizes that the development team needs to stabilize and improve the building’s appearance before the 2026 World Cup, when the city hosts several international soccer matches. In addition, the agency wants certain historic elements like the original Atlanta Constitution medallion to be returned to the building in additional to exterior digital signage.
Invest Atlanta also wants a development team to have active uses of at least the ground floor and possibly more of the building before the 2026 festivities.
Invest Atlanta’s long-term vision for the building is ground-floor retail space and a public rooftop terrace. If the building is converted into apartments, the agency said at least 30% of the units must be reserved at rents affordable for people making 80% or less of the area median income — which is $57,200 for an individual or $81,680 for a family of four.
Developers must submit their bids by Aug. 2, and Invest Atlanta anticipates selecting a development team on Aug. 26.
A potential reboot of the Alabama Street building comes as work is getting underway on the next phase of the sweeping Centennial Yards project in downtown’s Gulch and as new owners are beginning their re-imaging of 10 blocks of South Downtown.
Future of Downtown
This story is part of an occasional series by the AJC to look at the future of Atlanta’s downtown. Several high-profile developments are poised to bring billions of dollars into the city’s core while it continues to grapple with the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic and a challenging real estate financing market. Downtown will also soon garner international attention when the World Cup comes to Atlanta in 2026, providing a deadline for the city and downtown stakeholders to make promised improvements.
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