First look: Sweet Auburn co-working space ‘Constellations’ debuts in historic setting

Developer Gene Kansas’s co-working compound, “Constellations,” is just weeks away from its grand opening in Atlanta’s historic Sweet Auburn district—although it’s technically already open.

Stationed on the second floor of a century-old building on Auburn Avenue—above the APEX Museum, which highlights the history of black culture—Constellations offers nearly 10,000 square feet of offices and study space.

Slated for a May 31 opening extravaganza, Constellations replaced the now-downtown Southern Education Foundation with, among other tenants, two new “Residency Program Offices” for Georgia State University and Georgia Tech.

Additionally, Kansas’s project grants office space to local nonprofits, and can accomodate up to 25 community organizations.

The space has now filled 85 percent of its tenant capacity, and, as of an April press release, most of the occupants were female-led companies and organizations.

Luke Beard, Exposure

Constellations, which has been billed as “a civic, social, and business galaxy,” also boasts its own library, coffee shop, and podcast recording studio, among other tenants secured by the developer.

Those include:

• The National Trust for Historic Preservation, Atlanta Field Office;
• Georgia Tech’s Ivan Allen College, administering a Residency Program Office in Social Justice;
• Georgia State University’s Honors College, and its Residency in Social Entrepreneurship;
• Spacelab, a design and research popup concept from Atlanta-based architecture and design firm tvsdesign;
• GivingPoint, which empowers youth to take action for social good;
• Visual artist and scholar Fahamu Pecou;
• Civil Bikes, leading historic bike tours around Atlanta;
• Mavenly + Co., which is dedicated to helping women build better careers and lives;
• Cognitive Design, a boutique architecture firm specializing in the complex relationships between people and place;
• EXPOSURE, an open studio for storytellers that serves as a place and platform to empower creative vision through beautiful tools and community.

This story has been updated to clarify that, although the grand opening ceremony is scheduled for May 31, Constellations is currently open. It has also been amended to say SEF had relocated to downtown.

Luke Beard, Exposure

Luke Beard, Exposure

Luke Beard, Exposure

• On Atlanta’s Auburn Avenue, historic building to be reborn as co-working space [Curbed]