Another adaptive-reuse project in Atlanta hopes to be in business — at least partially — by this time next year. The "Westside Ironworks" venture on the site of a former Howell Mill Road foundry has signed its first tenant, Barcelona Restaurant and Wine Bar, whose Inman Park outpost remains wildly popular and attracts a regional clientele. The Atlanta Business Chronicle reports Barcelona will consume a roughly 4,000-square-foot, freestanding building at Ironworks, following a $3 million renovation, with a projected opening of mid-2015. It sounds like another creative use of aged property on a corridor that has a history of success, including the Westside Provisions District and the buildings that house The Optimist restaurant and 5 Seasons Brewing.
All told, the $8.5 million Westside Ironworks project will transform two industrial buildings into shops and restaurants, making use of mid-century industrial elements and soaring, 45-foot ceilings, the newspaper reports. It's the brainchild of Frank Buonanotte, founder of The Shopping Center Group, and Jeff Stein, founder of Stein Investment Group. They envision five to seven retail tenants on site and another food concept in addition to Barcelona.
Buonanotte told the newspaper his team was attracted to the authentic, organic feel of the neighborhood, adding, "it was redeveloped from existing warehouses and industrial buildings. It is not a newly constructed neighborhood trying to create a sense of place. It already is a place. And it is this authenticity that people are craving …" Noticeably (and refreshingly) absent in that statement is a mention of tearing down and building anew. It might not be Krog Street Market West, but this one already sounds applaudable.
· Westside Ironworks lands first tenant Barcelona Wine Bar [ABC]
[Images via ABC/PlaceMaker Design; street images via Google Maps/Curbed Atlanta]
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