 |
ARTICLES OF INTEREST
<< BACK
SPOTLIGHT ON ... Castleberry Hill: Revitalized community in downtown Atlanta draws hip businesses, lovers of urban excitement
By C.W. Cameron
For the Journal-Constitution
Published on: 05/06/07
If your idea of a neighborhood requires tree-lined streets and expansive front lawns, you might feel at home
in Castleberry Hill. The former industrial and warehouse area just south of downtown has become one of
Atlanta's hippest live/work neighborhoods.
Fifteen years ago, commercial photographer Calvin Lockwood, 46, was living in Chamblee and seeking studio space. He looked into leasing, but what was available didn't make business sense. "All you get is concrete floors and cinder block walls. You don't own it," he says. "I was working with a commercial Realtor who had lived in Castleberry Hill, and we thought that with the 1996 Olympics on the way, downtown Atlanta was ripe for redevelopment and revitalization."
Lockwood found three adjacent properties to buy in Castleberry Hill: a two-story building, a one-story building and a parking lot. "These buildings had been a dry goods store in 1910, a chicken hatchery in the 1940s and 1950s and then a furniture store in the 1960s."
Lockwood and partner Steve Messer began a seven-year renovation, creating a studio space, a two-car garage, a 1,700-square-foot rental unit and a 3,000-square-foot living space that they share with their two dogs, Buster and Sasha.
Their buildings total 17,000 square feet of interior space, and there's outdoor living space as well with four rooftop decks and even a fish pond on the deck off the kitchen. The renovation has been featured in Jezebel magazine and on HGTV's "ReZoned."
Lockwood says that neighbors were few. "We'd see someone walking their dogs. That's how we met people who had moved in." Now there are neighborhood events like the Chili Cook-off and ArtStroll and the annual loft tour. "I know more people here than I did when I lived in Chamblee. We are a tighter community because everything is within walking distance and because we have a great neighborhood association."
Lockwood has served as chairman of land use and zoning for the Castleberry Hill Neighborhood Association since 2004 and was instrumental in the neighborhood's designation as an Atlanta Landmark District. "I wanted to be sure we would keep the brick and stonework character of our neighborhood. We have the largest collection of historic warehouses in Atlanta."
Tami Donnelly, 48, moved here from Buckhead and has been president of the neighborhood association since 2001. She says, "I feel like I live in a little tiny town inside of a big city. I know everybody. Everybody knows me. And because of that, we all feel very safe and comfortable here." At 5 p.m. most weekdays, Tami, who runs her business, Castleberry Concierge, from home, can be found sitting on her stoop to greet the rest of the neighborhood on their way home from work. "By 7 p.m., there are a dozen of us out here chatting and having a glass of wine."
Tami's husband, Dana, works off Ga. 400's Exit 12 in Alpharetta and often misses the socializing. He finds there doesn't seem to be a reverse commute anymore. "Traffic is just as bad in both directions on 400 these days. It can be an awfully long ride home in the evenings." But Tami laughs and says, "He loves living in Castleberry Hill enough to do that commute five days a week."
Castleberry Hill's entrance sign at Centennial Olympic Park Drive was donated by residents Walt Bilinski and Steve MacNeil of No Mas Productions and No Mas Cantina and symbolizes the residential renaissance taking place. It's right across the street from the Donnellys' loft building, and they appreciate it every time they go outdoors.
"It's such a cool neighborhood," Tami says. "There's always something happening: a video or TV commercial being shot, new neighbors moving in or a new art gallery or restaurant opening up."
Castleberry Hill has more than a dozen restaurants, bars and coffee shops, featuring everything from Mexican specialties to a sushi and sake lounge. The Elliott Street Deli and Pub is tucked into a 140-year-old building at the north end of Castleberry Hill. Owner Peter Jakob, 41, says, "I love it downtown. The Georgia Dome, Philips Arena, the Tabernacle, the Aquarium -- everything is within walking distance. There's good people here, great art galleries and restaurants and fantastic business owners. Of course, it's a different kind of living than you'd have if you had to take care of your lawn and your house. Here, you have more time on your hands to hang out with friends."
The Pub sits on the ground floor of a building that has a long history in the "hospitality" business. Peter says, "This was once a pretty seedy area, and there seems to have always been a bar here, as well as gambling on the second floor and maybe even a brothel."
Peter and his brother Mike bought the 3,800-square-foot building three years ago. They had been living in Kennesaw, working as general contractors. Peter says, "We ran across this building, and it was falling down. At first we thought we'd put in a workshop in the basement, have a retail space on the ground floor, and live above, but as we were working on it, everybody would stop in and ask us to open a neighborhood bar." So they did, and now the Elliott Street Deli and Pub serves as a place for neighbors to come by and sit down for a couple of hours or just sit and talk all night long. Peter says, "We're the neighborhood gathering place. We know what's for sale and what the places are going for."
The brothers have living space on two floors of the building, a kitchen/dining/living space on the main floor and two master bedroom suites upstairs. They plan to add another story next year. "Living above the business is not very quiet, but it's great because one of us is always here. It's like everybody is coming to our living room to hang out and have a party."
HISTORY
Castleberry Hill was the name generally associated with the peak along Walker Street between Fair and Stonewall streets. This was land owned by early settler Daniel Castleberry in the 1820s. Today the neighborhood contains the largest and most concentrated collection of railroad buildings in Atlanta. Early 20th-century commercial and industrial structures form continuous frontages at the street and railway lines, giving the area a distinctive urban look.
AT A GLANCE
Where: Castleberry Hill is on the southwestern edge of the Atlanta Central Business District, south of Philips Arena, the Georgia Dome and Georgia World Congress Center. The neighborhood is bounded on the north by Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, on the east by Spring Street, on the west by Northside Drive and on the south by McDaniel Street.
County: Fulton
Number of households: 4,800 and growing
Price: $200 to $230 a square foot
Style: mostly early 1900s commercial and industrial buildings with compatible infill development
Neighborhood association: Castleberry Hill Neighborhood Association, castleberryhill.org. Voluntary dues are $20 per year. Membership entitles residents to vote at neighborhood meetings, to receive T-shirts and discounted tickets for the loft tour and to receive a quarterly issue of the Castleberry Hill Chronicle.
Amenities: near downtown, more than a dozen restaurants and bars, new retail opening every day, located between the CNN and Garnett Street MARTA stations.
Schools: M.A. Jones or C. W. Hill Elementary, Inman Middle School, Grady High School
More on schools: www.ajchomefinder.com/schoolguide
HOUSING TRENDS IN ZIP CODE 30313
Sales of new homes: 35, down 62 percent
Sales of existing homes: 70, up 19 percent
Median price of new homes: $233,495, down 11 percent
Median price of existing homes: $214,900, down 4 percent
GETTING THERE
From downtown Atlanta, go southwest on Centennial Olympic Park Drive (becomes Walker Street). Go a little less than one mile past Marietta Street. Turn left on Fair Street. At dead end, turn right on Peters Street. Look for the first gated parking lot on the right, across from U-Haul. Map on Page 2.
COMING UP: JOIN THE CROWD
Special events: The Castleberry Hill ArtStroll is a regular event held on Friday nights throughout the year. Featuring almost 30 art galleries, businesses and restaurants, the next ArtStroll is May 18. The sixth annual loft tour will be held in early October. For more information, call 404-307-8127or go to castleberryhill.org.
|
|
Email Alerts!
Are you interested in receiving emails immediately when new listings are added or found that fit your
wants and needs?
Click on the button above to learn more!
__________________________
ATLANTA LOFTS
Are you interested in Loft communities in Atlanta? Click here
to view Atlanta area Lofts.
__________________________
ATLANTA LIVE/WORK
Are you interested in Live/Work communities in Atlanta? Click here
to view Atlanta area Live/Work real estate.
__________________________
ATLANTA CONDOS
Are you interested in Condo communities in Atlanta? Click here
to view Atlanta area Condos.
|
|
 |
