Eclectic Midtown arts center, lodge could make way for condos, per $4.6M listing

Artsy compound and popular Airbnb tucked off Ponce de Leon Avenue dates to 1919—but those skyline views

By Josh Green@JoshGreen1234 Mar 6, 2018, 2:52pm EST

Called the “Shady Rest Inn” a century ago, the eclectic Ponce de Leon Avenue property is now more commonly referred to as The Big House on Ponce. — Called the Shady Rest Inn a century ago, the eclectic Ponce de Leon Avenue property is now more commonly referred to as The Big House on Ponce.

A fun and funky Midtown property that’s lived several lives over the past century in the 300 block of Ponce de Leon Avenue is being marketed as a “rare investment opportunity” rich with city views.

Buried behind a bank of oak trees on Ponce, next door to the Yaarab Shriners Temple, the site includes more than an acre and one of the last remaining mansions on this section of the popular thoroughfare, per the listing.

The listing notes the property is zoned commercial “with no maximum height restrictions,” making it “ideal for investors and builders to develop stack flight condos, townhomes, or mixed-use with retail on the main [floor] and [residential] above.”

The asking price is $4,650,000, but all offers will be considered, per the listing.

Midtown views from the property in question.

The circa-1919 mansion functioned as part of the Shady Rest Inn hotel business in the 1920s but is more commonly referred to as The Big House on Ponce, or 368 Ponce.

It spans 5,500 square feet, still oozing historic charm with its marble floors and crown molding, the listing states.

In the back, a secondary building has functioned as a bed and breakfast with a theater stage for art and music productions. Lush gardens abound.

The listing does note the property would make for a swell high-end boutique hotel, restaurant, or some other use that could spare onsite structures.

Seen here in a vintage postcard, the for-sale property is at top left.

An online description of the 368 Ponce property says the main house, since inception, “has been occupied by a wide variety of inhabitants and guests, and consequently has collected an eclectic array of paintings, knick knacks, and other quirky treasures.”

It’s promoted as a haven for “creatives, independent scholars, and activists,” hosting everything from film screening, music performances, and art openings to educational panels and weddings.

This listings gallery provides a look around the property as it stands now: