Photos: At downtown’s historic Hurt Building, $4 million makeover is complete

Owners expect to pepper the early 20th century landmark with restaurants, other retail

By Sean Richard Keenan@ThatSeanKeenan Aug 1, 2018, 1:25pm EDT

A photo of the building’s exterior — Massive metal Hs front the building’s streetside entrances.

Nestled between downtown’s Woodruff Park and Hurt Park stands a monolithic—and now modernized—piece of Atlanta history, The Hurt Building.

At a glance, the 18-story, V-shaped structure might look like it’s remained largely untouched since it was erected in the early 20th century, save for the massive metal Hs recently installed on the building’s Edgewood Avenue and Hurt Plaza faces.

Within the Hurt Building, however, recent changes abound.

This week, developer, leasing agent, and property manager JLL announced its $4 million makeover of the historic building’s interior is complete.

The renovation project sought to restore some of the lobby’s original accents while adding contemporary flare to the design. It also introduced what JLL calls an “amenity-focused penthouse floor,” according to a press release.

The rotunda facing Woodruff Park retained its historic aesthetic.

Even with historic aspects surviving, the lobby looks quite sci-fi flick.

Among the amenities JLL’s revamp brought to the Hurt Building are conference facilities, “creative common areas,” and a modern workout facility.

In 2016, Gamma Real Estate bought the Hurt Building for $34 million. That same year, a Starbucks found its way into the ground floor, offering another downtown coffee pit-stop to Georgia State University students and other pedestrians.

Renovations kicked off in October, and since then, JLL’s leasing team has been scouting for restaurant concepts and retail tenants. Spaces are about 80 percent occupied otherwise.

“With building renovations at the Hurt Building now complete, we look forward to delivering an exciting lineup of shopping and dining experiences that will bring new spark to this historic property,” Coleman Morris, director of retail agency leasing at JLL, said in the release.

The amenity floor offers a fitness center and “creative common areas.”

In April, Herzing University announced it was closing shop in Buckhead and relocating its headquarters to the Hurt Building.

The school now occupies a 30,000-square-foot floor that hosts hundreds of students per day, which has helped cement the historic structure—and downtown in general—as a hub for education and business.