The next chapter for a vacant downtown building that decades ago was home to The Atlanta Constitution newspaper is finally beginning. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickels and other city officials celebrated on Thursday the groundbreaking of a project to revitalize 143 Alabama St. SW near the Five Points MARTA station. When all the work is done, the site will be home to about 200 affordable housing units, as well as a commercial space prioritizing local entrepreneurs, the developer said.
The five-story building was constructed in 1947 and housed the Constitution until it merged with The Atlanta Journal in 1953. The site has remained empty and become covered in plant life and graffiti since its last occupant, Georgia Power, departed in the 1970s.
The 95,000-square-foot building, which the city purchased in 1995, was placed on the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation's 2024 "Places in Peril" list because of its Art Moderne architectural style, which is rare in Atlanta. Past efforts to renovate the building have failed to succeed.
Wisconsin-based developer Gorman & Co. is leading the restoration of 143 Alabama. Phase 1 will focus on "stabilizing and restoring the building's exterior" with completion expected by May 2026, while residential conversion finishes in March 2027. Phase 2 will add a new 151-unit affordable housing building, projected for completion in July 2028.
Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution