The area now known as Hotel Row in South Downtown Atlanta was once anchored by Terminal Station, which opened in 1905, and a collection of hotels built to serve the steady flow of arriving passengers. Among them, the Terminal Hotel opened in 1906 and became a prominent neighborhood landmark before a devastating fire in 1938 killed 34 people and destroyed the building.
The region experienced significant changes over the decades. Terminal Station underwent renovation in 1947 but steadily declined as automobile use increased and rail travel waned. Other landmarks shaped the streetscape, including the Atlanta Central Post Office, built in 1933 and now the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Building, and Concordia Hall, which originally served a 19th-century Jewish cultural heritage organization.
By the late 20th century, Hotel Row had deteriorated considerably. In 2016, German-backed developer Newport US acquired multiple buildings across several downtown blocks, including Mitchell Street properties. Their renovation plans transformed the area, with buildings repurposed for new residents and businesses by 2019.
The Nelson Street Bridge reopened to pedestrians in 2023 after six years of closure, marking another step in the corridor's ongoing revival. Newport subsequently sold its South Downtown holdings to Braden Fellman in 2023, passing stewardship of the historic district to a new owner as redevelopment continues.
Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution