City Hall East
Encyclopedia
Ponce City Market is a historic building in Atlanta, located where the BeltLine
crosses Ponce de Leon Avenue in the Old Fourth Ward
where that neighborhood touches the Virginia Highland, Poncey-Highland
and Midtown
neighborhoods. The 2100000 square feet (195,096.4 m²) building, one of the largest by volume in the Southeast United States, was used by Sears, Roebuck and Co. from 1926–1987 and later by the City of Atlanta as "City Hall East". The building's lot is 16 acres (64,749.8 m²) large.
The City sold the property for $27 million to Jamestown, Jamestown, a private-equity group, on July 11, 2011. Jamestown, which also invested in the redevelopment of the White Provision retail and restaurant complex in West Midtown, is bankrolling 180-million-dollar plans by developer Green Street Properties to convert it into a retail complex with national and local retail anchors, restaurants, boutiques and offices, to be followed by residential development. In a July 2011 interview, Michael Phillips, managing director of Jamestown, said that Jamestown is focused on Ponce City Market becoming the fourth nationally relevant food hall in the U.S., alongside Pike Place in Seattle, the Ferry Building
in San Francisco, and Jamestown's own Chelsea Market
in New York
. Jamestown also plans rooftop gardens where local restaurants can grow food. Jamestown plans to complete renovations by early 2014 and then have the building added to the National Register of Historic Places
.
It is hoped that the new development, along with the new adjacent BeltLine
trail and Historic Fourth Ward Park
, will stitch together the four neighborhoods that meet where it is located and revitalize the Ponce de Leon Avenue corridor.
, later the whites-only Ponce de Leon amusement park
.
Beltline
The Beltline is a region of central Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The area is located immediately to the south of Calgary's downtown , and is sometimes considered part of downtown...
crosses Ponce de Leon Avenue in the Old Fourth Ward
Old Fourth Ward
The Old Fourth Ward, often abbreviated The Fourth Ward or O4W, is a neighborhood stretching east from Downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The Old Fourth Ward is one of the city's most rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods, but is also one of the city's most eclectic, containing a burgeoning nightlife district...
where that neighborhood touches the Virginia Highland, Poncey-Highland
Poncey-Highland
Poncey-Highland is a neighborhood on the east side of Atlanta, Georgia, located south of Virginia-Highland. It so named because it is near the intersection of east/west Ponce de Leon Avenue and north/southwest North Highland Avenue. This Atlanta neighborhood was established between 1905 and 1930,...
and Midtown
Midtown Atlanta
Midtown is the second largest financial district in the city of Atlanta, Georgia, situated between the commercial and financial districts of Downtown and SoNo to the south and the affluent residential and commercial district of Buckhead to the north...
neighborhoods. The 2100000 square feet (195,096.4 m²) building, one of the largest by volume in the Southeast United States, was used by Sears, Roebuck and Co. from 1926–1987 and later by the City of Atlanta as "City Hall East". The building's lot is 16 acres (64,749.8 m²) large.
The City sold the property for $27 million to Jamestown, Jamestown, a private-equity group, on July 11, 2011. Jamestown, which also invested in the redevelopment of the White Provision retail and restaurant complex in West Midtown, is bankrolling 180-million-dollar plans by developer Green Street Properties to convert it into a retail complex with national and local retail anchors, restaurants, boutiques and offices, to be followed by residential development. In a July 2011 interview, Michael Phillips, managing director of Jamestown, said that Jamestown is focused on Ponce City Market becoming the fourth nationally relevant food hall in the U.S., alongside Pike Place in Seattle, the Ferry Building
Ferry Building
The San Francisco Ferry Building is a terminal for ferries that travel across the San Francisco Bay and a shopping center located on The Embarcadero in San Francisco, California. On top of the building is a large clock tower, which can be seen from Market Street, a main thoroughfare of the city...
in San Francisco, and Jamestown's own Chelsea Market
Chelsea Market
thumb|267px|The Ninth Avenue entrance to Chelsea MarketChelsea Market is an enclosed urban food court, shopping mall, office building and television production facility located in the Chelsea neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan, in New York City...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Jamestown also plans rooftop gardens where local restaurants can grow food. Jamestown plans to complete renovations by early 2014 and then have the building added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
It is hoped that the new development, along with the new adjacent BeltLine
Beltline
The Beltline is a region of central Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The area is located immediately to the south of Calgary's downtown , and is sometimes considered part of downtown...
trail and Historic Fourth Ward Park
Historic Fourth Ward Park
Historic Fourth Ward Park is a park built on the site of the old Ponce de Leon amusement park, in the Old Fourth Ward of Atlanta, just south of Ponce City Market and just west of the BeltLine trail. It will eventually cover .-Sections:...
, will stitch together the four neighborhoods that meet where it is located and revitalize the Ponce de Leon Avenue corridor.
History
The building was built on the site of Ponce de Leon SpringsPonce de Leon Springs (Atlanta)
Ponce de Leon Springs were natural springs located on the site of the future Ponce City Market in Atlanta, where Ponce de Leon Avenue crosses the BeltLine, and where the Old Fourth Ward, Virginia Highland, Midtown and Poncey-Highland neighborhoods of Atlanta meet.In the 1860s, trips to the springs...
, later the whites-only Ponce de Leon amusement park
Ponce de Leon amusement park
The Ponce de Leon amusement park was built on the site of Ponce de Leon Springs. Omnibus service from Atlanta to the springs started in 1872, and in 1874 horsecar service started. It developed in the late 1880s and 1890s with the addition of attractions for children, a dance hall and theater, and...
.
- From 1926-1979 it was a Sears, Roebuck and Co. retail store, warehouse and regional office The Atlanta regional headquarters was closely linked to Sears' efforts to capture the market of Southern famers through the Sears Agricultural Foundation:
- From August 1926 until October 1928, the Foundation hosted a radio show, broadcast from the Atlanta Sears tower called “Dinner Bell R.F.D.”. R.F.D. stood for the club "Radio Farmers' Democracy. The show aired on WSB radio between noon and 1 pm three times a week, featuring old-time musicians and string bands
- Sears held a farmer's market at the back of the property starting in May 1930 through New Year's Day 1947
- In 1939, the market hosted the First Georgia Clay Products Show, which garnered an audience of 5,000
- The market established partnerships with local 4-H Clubs and Future Farmers of America clubs
- In 1979 the retail store closed but the building continue operating as a Sears regional office until 1987.
- In May, 1990 the city of Atlanta bought the building for $12 million, with plans to place 2,000 police and fire employees there, and later rent space out to county, state, and federal agencies. Only one floor was ever occupied by the Atlanta policeAtlanta Police DepartmentThe Atlanta Police Department is the law enforcement agency of the city of Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.The city shifted from its rural-based Marshal and Deputy Marshal model at the end of the 19th century. In 1873, the department was formed with 26 officers...
in addition to a ground-floor art galleryArt galleryAn art gallery or art museum is a building or space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art.Museums can be public or private, but what distinguishes a museum is the ownership of a collection...
. - From 1995-1999 the Southeastern Flower ShowSoutheastern Flower ShowSince 1988, the Southeastern Flower Show has been the premier gardening and horticultural event in the Southeast United States. The show is held in early spring in Atlanta, Georgia at the Georgia World Congress Center. Previously from 1995-1999 the show was held at what is now Ponce City...
was held here. - The building was closed to the public on March 29, 2010 and remains closed pending development by Jamestown.
History
- Old pictures of the Sears building
- "Largest Building in the South Opens on Ponce de Leon Avenue ("This Day in History" series)", pbaonline (Public Broadcasting Atlanta
- Jerry R. Hancock, Jr., Dixie Progress: Sears, Roebuck & Co. and How it became an Icon in Southern Culture, Georgia State University - Photos of Sears Farmers' Market 1931 (see p. 61)
- "A Living History of Ponce City Market" - video remembrances by local residents of the historic building
Redevelopment
- Robbie Brown, "Ambitious Plans for a Building Where Sears Served Atlanta", New York Times, August 16, 2011
- "The lost world of City Hall East: the mysteries inside Atlanta’s largest abandoned building", Creative Loafing, April 19, 2010 - slideshow of pictures inside the City Hall East of April 2010