Inman Park Auto Garage to Undergo Spiritual Awakening

A 1930s automotive garage around the corner from Krog Street Market is about to get enlightened. Officials with Kadampa Meditation Center Georgia tell Curbed they've purchased the circa-1938 former home of AAA Electric Motor Service on Edgewood Avenue with plans of transforming it into a glassy, modern meditation center soon. Design plans include a meditation space for 80 people — expect daily classes, day courses, study programs and retreats for "all levels of practice" — plus a gift shop and book store, officials said. According to its architects, the adaptive-reuse project will play out like a dreamy confluence of form and function.

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For design, the center has tapped architectural firm Gamble and Gamble Creative, which recently bagged an Award of Excellence from the Atlanta Urban Design Commission for its renovation of the historic Daily World building. Michael Gamble, the firm's principal, said the project will be developed "around an architectural typology that most architects dream of." In a press release, Gamble added this verbal preview:

"Our strategy is the thoughtful adaptive reuse of an existing tool shop on the edge of Inman Park, via an understanding of how natural light creates different atmospheres within the space and how recycled and sustainable non-toxic materials can be conceived of in a way that creates comfort, economy and delight, while respecting the needs of the spiritual community and the neighborhood."

Kadampa Meditation Center Georgia, a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization run entirely by volunteers, was established in Atlanta in 1998. Previously, their volunteers ran the World Peace Café in Sandy Springs from 2007 to 2013.

Officials expect the Inman Park center to open next fall.

· Recent Inman Park coverage, discussion [Curbed]
· Kadampa Meditation Center Georgia [Site]