It's been a long strange trip for the spaces that comprise 229 Bradberry St. in Castleberry Hill, which is still one of Atlanta's most unique and awe-inspiring homes, despite its chronic selling problem. Rewind to about 1925: The collection of Bradberry Street buildings is used for retail, wholesale and light industry. Eighty years later, retired developer and entrepreneur Howard French buys the properties for a song and begins work on a complex, three-year conversion, scratching the itch he's always had to live in a warehouse — one with ample garage space for his BMW fleet. French tells the AJC the loft is the 37th home he's designed, joining other properties in Fort Lauderdale and Cincinnati, where he spent most of his time. Spanning 7,700 square feet, the compound is listed on the National Register of Historic Places; French throws plentiful events and parties. Then, in 2010, French claims he's grown tired of the home. It enters the market at $8.9 million, which includes a pricey array of furnishings designed to fit perfectly in the spaces French put them. And then … nada.
"I've always wanted to live in a renovated warehouse, and I have," French told the Wall Street Journal in 2010. "So it's time to do something else." Unfortunately, the home was grossly overpriced in the midst of an economic Dumpster fire. On Bradberry Street, the furnishings were purged for video shoots for T.I. and a Tyler Perry movie, among other uses. Rumor has it that many well-heeled and high-profile buyers sniffed around the property, but none of them bit. It fell into foreclosure. A precipitous price-drop ensued.
Earlier this year, the loft was relisted for $2.9 million — just 35 percent of the initial ask — which the agent calls "an unbelievable steal." More recently, listing photos sans those furnishings have emerged, showcasing more of this urban utopia than ever before:
See the full outdoor kitchen with dual fireplaces, the gym, the wine vault. Note the four ovens and two pro-grade stovetops (with double range hoods) — and that's just the main kitchen. Elsewhere, there's a Bellagio-grade master bathroom, with an infinity-edge bathtub that fills from the ceiling and a built-out closest to shame the Falcons' locker room. The cabinetry functions less as storage spaces than little architectural feats for impressing guests. It's the rare condo with a movie theater — and one that looks like a modern cinema and not Aladdin's bedroom. The 12-space parking garage could service a small apartment complex. Much like the "ACTIVE" status on the loft's listing, the perks of this place go on and on ...
· 229 Bradberry St. [Realtor.com]
· $6M (Yes, Million) Price Drop For Castleberry Hill Loft [Curbed]
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