Exploring Atlanta’s Ponce City Market

I’ve always had a fascination with abandoned spaces, finding beauty in the derelict and wondering how buildings came to end up this way. There are plenty of these types of buildings in my hometown of Atlanta, which had an industrial boom in the early 1900s that has left our city with many unique warehouse spaces.

Ponce City Market is one of these spaces that sat unused or underutilized for the better part of my lifetime. Located between Ponce de Leon and North avenues, the building is across the street from The Masquerade music venue, a 19th century former mill where I spent much of my youth.

Built in 1926, the building was originally a warehouse, office and retail space for Sears, Roebuck and Company. It was expanded twice during Sears’ tenancy, eventually making it the largest buildings in the Southeast at over 2 million square feet. Train cars actually entered the building to drop off merchandise. During this time, my grandmother lived in an apartment down the street with her college friends.

In 1979 the Sears retail space closed, but the building continued to be used for offices until 1987 when the company left for good. In 1990, the City of Atlanta bought the building for $12 million, but only used one of the many floors as offices for police officers, firefighters and other municipal staff.

While it was occasionally used for events like the Southeastern Flower Show, the upper floors of the building hadn’t seen life in a decade and it became closed to the public in 2010.

So how did I find myself wandering around an abandoned building? The property was purchased in 2012 by the Jamestown group, which was responsible for White Provisions, one of my favorite buildings in town. They are renovating the building, but more on that later. There are only a few tours per week and they sell out very quickly. My friend Elizabeth got one ticket but couldn’t go at the last minute, so I volunteered (as tribute).

I arrived at the Ponce City Market office, conveniently located next to the Dancing Goats Coffee Shop, where a crowd was already gathered, sipping beers and admiring the blueprints and plans for the building. The office detailed the history of the building and had an inspiration board, letting guests pin images that they would like to see the building become. With hard hats on, we were led around the building.

We got to see the top floors and roof, as well as the old freight depot. The Ponce City Market is set to open in June 2014 and will be mixed use of apartments, offices and restaurants with a park, fitness center and retail spaces. The building will take inspiration from the Sear’s monthly farmer’s markets as well as the Chelsea Market in New York.

While my love lies in the old buildings, I’m excited to see what will happen next for the Ponce City Market. Many restaurants are already slated to move in. Its location right on the BeltLine, Atlanta’s bike and walking path, will make it easier for residents to ride their bikes to work.

Would you want to live at Ponce City Market?