Atlanta’s Eclectic, Colorful Castleberry Hill in 28 Photos

With its relatively tucked-away location, divided from downtown Atlanta by a ravine of festering nothing, the proud, artsy, post-industrial wonderland that is Castleberry Hill can be easily overlooked.

But that’s changing.

The historic neighborhood has been front-and-center for each step of the new Atlanta Falcons stadium saga, and now Hard Rock Hotel is betting big on a flashy new lodge at Castleberry’s northern section. The hotel hopes to open in 2018, leaving plenty of time before the sports universe descends on Castleberry Hill for the 2019 Super Bowl and 2020 Final Four. The stadium will host college football’s National Championship in early 2018, too.

Meanwhile, the Atlanta Hawks’ owner, billionaire Tony Ressler, has all but called the neighboring Gulch unacceptable, and smaller-scale projects such as warehouse conversions promise to enliven Castleberry’s streets.

Castleberry’s roots trace way back to roughly 1850, when it was a rowdy, Wild West-style district known as Snake Nation that eventually (and predictably) burned to the ground. A fella by the name of Daniel Castleberry opened a shop in the early 1900s at the intersection of Peters and Fair streets, giving rise to the neighborhood Atlantans know today.

Given all of the above, it seemed an appropriate time to swing through Castleberry for this installment of Visual Journeys and showcase a transitioning place that's truly unique in Atlanta.

• Recent Castleberry Hill news, discussion [Curbed Atlanta]
• The most lawless year in Atlanta’s history [Atlanta magazine]