In many ways, the five-way intersection formed by Peachtree Road, Roswell Road and the Paces Ferry roads can be considered the nexus of Buckhead. However, while Buckhead has relentlessly grown through the years, the bustling intersection is still characterized by low-slung commercial buildings which date from mid-century or earlier. In fact, a photo from Atlanta Time Machine shows just how little has changed in six decades. Hanover Company has proposed a curvaceous 351-unit apartment tower north of the Buckhead Theatre, though a lawsuit over parking has seemingly stymied that project for now. Interestingly, the plaintiff in the lawsuit, the Loudermilk Company, has announced a plan to immediately demolish the structures across Loudermilk Park — yes, the same family — from Hanover's proposal and erect their own building.
The intersection of Peachtree and Roswell roads, just north of East/West Paces Ferry Road, forms the Buckhead Triangle. It was here that the head of a large deer was placed above a tavern door in the rough-and-tumble days of yore, lending the name Buckhead to the area. The site of the Buckhead Theatre since the 1930s, once home to a lively night-life scene of Buckhead Village and now adjacent to the Buckhead Atlanta development, Buckhead Triangle might have traded taxidermy for high-end furs, but its prominence has been unwavering. The importance makes it that much more surprising that many of the buildings immediately adjacent to the intersection are two-story commercial buildings from the early-to-mid 1900s. At the center of it all sits Charlie Loudermilk Park, one of Atlanta's itty-bitty parks and currently undergoing a $2.5 million renovation, named for the man who founded the rent-to-own empire Aarons, which happens to be headquartered two blocks away on East Paces Ferry. Is the intersection incestuous enough for you yet?
Loudermilk Company is proposing to demolish all of the buildings within the block bounded by Peachtree, East Paces Ferry, and Bolling Way (save for possibly a furniture store at the southern corner of the site, though details are a bit hazy) and replace them with a vacant lot, for now. Eventually, plans call for a six-story building, described on the company's website simply as "future office with retail"; eloquence in brevity. From the available rendering, the proposal appears to fit in well with the faux-classical-contemporary fusion of the adjacent Buckhead Atlanta development. Whatever ends up happening, it is safe to assume that the Loudermilks have a stronghold on the intersection and vicinity with two more projects listed on their website, the Aaron's headquarters, ownership of the Buckhead Theatre and a spiffed-up park to boot.
· Loudermilk to demolish buildings on Peachtree, E. Paces [BuckheadView]
Loading comments...