The Medical Arts Building is a
Beaux-Arts style building located at the northern end of
Downtown Atlanta
Downtown Atlanta is the central business district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The largest of the city's three commercial districts (Midtown Atlanta, Midtown and Buckhead being the others), it is the location of many corporate and region ...
. The 12-story brick and limestone building by architect
G. Lloyd Preacher, also designer of
Atlanta City Hall
Atlanta City Hall is the headquarters of the City of Atlanta government. It was constructed in 1930, and is located in Downtown Atlanta. It is a high-rise office tower very similar to dozens of other city halls built in the United States duri ...
, was constructed in 1927. In addition to its medical facilities - deemed as some of the most modern and well-equipped when it opened, the building once featured a cafeteria, drugstore and telegraph office. It was also amongst the first to have a covered parking garage.
However, its nearly of space have been vacant since 1995.
Recent history
In 2001, the building was included on the Atlanta Preservation Center's List of Endangered Buildings.
In 2002, an ordinance was proposed before
Atlanta City Council
The Atlanta City Council (formerly the Atlanta Board of Aldermen until 1974) is the main municipal legislative body for the city of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It consists of 16 members: the council president, twelve members elected from di ...
to designate the building as a Landmark Building. The ordinance was passed in October 2005.
In 2003, Crow Hospitality Investment Group had the building under contract with plans to convert it into a small hotel.
In 2004, a business owned by record producer
Dallas Austin
Dallas L. Austin (born December 29, 1970) is an American songwriter, record producer, and film producer from Columbus, Georgia.
Biography
Early life
During a 2019 interview with DJ Vlad, Dallas Austin detailed previously unknown or unconfir ...
was in negotiations to buy the building for possible conversion into a boutique hotel from then-owner Harold Gelber, a Miami businessman who had owned the property since the 1970s. Later that year, the building was purchased for $5.25 million by a group of local developers.
On the morning of July 2, 2005, the building suffered damage from a four-alarm fire.
In July 2009, large advertisements for
Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn by IHG is a chain of hotels based in Atlanta, Georgia and a brand of IHG Hotels & Resorts. The chain was founded in 1952 by Kemmons Wilson (1913–2003), who opened the first location in Memphis, Tennessee. The chain was a division ...
and Holiday Inn Express were placed on two sides of the building although there was no intention of either hotel occupying the building. The advertisements were eventually removed and were replaced in January 2010 by signs for
MetroPCS
Metro by T-Mobile, formerly known as MetroPCS, and simply known as Metro, is an American prepaid mobile phone, prepaid Wireless, wireless service provider and brand owned by T-Mobile US. It previously operated the fifth largest mobile telecommun ...
. In May 2010, an advertisement was posted for Crown Royal Black whisky.
The building is the only one of 10 structures on Central Atlanta Progress's 2003 list of downtown "eyesores" that has not been renovated or repurposed. Therefore, the building remains on the updated list released in December 2009. The building is included on The Georgia Trust's list of 2011 Places in Peril. It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 2016.
See also
*
References
{{Coord, 33.7652, N, 84.3862, W, region:US-GA_type:landmark, display=title
1927 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)
1995 disestablishments in Georgia (U.S. state)
Office buildings completed in 1927
Beaux-Arts architecture in Georgia (U.S. state)
G. Lloyd Preacher buildings
Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Georgia (U.S. state)
National Register of Historic Places in Atlanta