In Druid Hills, townhomes, condos harkening Art Moderne era take shape

Beginning at $795K, first townhomes with throwback style off Briarcliff Road pegged for summer debut

By Josh Green@JoshGreen1234 May 18, 2018, 3:02pm EDT

Photo of a rare, neo-Art Moderne approach to townhome design near Emory University. — A rare, neo-Art Moderne approach to townhome design near Emory University.

Druids Hills’s latest crop of multifamily dwellings has tapped the late Art Deco period for inspiration.

Around the corner from Emory University and the CDC, a pocket of townhomes and condos is taking shape that nods to the 1930s Art Moderne movement, echoing the historic Briar Hills condos from 1947 up the street.

Reps tell Curbed Atlanta the first batch of townhome offerings at the upscale Sophia Druid Hills project by Minerva should be ready in about 30 days.

Townhome prices range from $795,000 up to $860,000, and packages include optional elevators, Gaggenau, Sub-Zero/Wolf appliances, 10-foot ceilings on main levels, wide-plank white oak hardwood floors, and two-car garages. Expect north of 3,000 square feet with each unit.

Meanwhile, framing has wrapped on the first of two Sophia condo buildings, where prices will range widely between $776,000 and $933,000. Spaces vary between 2,200 and 2,400 square feet.

The gated property is tucked off Briarcliff Road at the entrance to Fox 5’s news headquarters, featuring a private park and what’s described as cascading gardens over tiered granite walls.

Per developers, details harkening Art Moderne architecture will include “sleek, horizontal styling, and a subtle painted brick exterior, with unique details such as huge wraparound corner windows and painted steel balustrades.”

Sophia is not to be confused with another proposed Minerva condo project around the corner that’s been the subject of neighborhood ire since 2016. Concerns have centered around unsafe traffic levels for the area—and the potential for rare ice to fall like daggers from Fox 5’s massive antenna mast, which is taller than any Atlanta building.

Meanwhile, “Sophia passed through the neighborhood opinion poll with flying colors,” noted listing agent Allen Snow, of Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty, in an email to Curbed.

Snow called the other Minerva project “gorgeous” with architecture inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie approach in a wooded setting. “I’m not sure why there’s pushback,” he said, “because it’ll be a great addition to Druid Hills.”

Minerva has recently been active with townhome ventures across Atlanta, notably at Edgewood’s sold-out The Whitefoord.

Have a look at the Sophia site now and what’s expected to come: