1960s apartments on Ponce primed for renovations, new rooftop deck

Near Freedom Park in Virginia-Highland, a decades-old apartment building is gearing up for a revamp that’s meant to emphasize its Miami Modern architecture.

At 892 Ponce de Leon Avenue, Hudson Development, in partnership with Pruiett Capital Partners and Gryboski and Howe Properties, plans to overhaul a unique four-floor, 27-unit complex that’s grown long in the tooth.

When Hudson Development bought the building a few months ago, it had been recently cleared of the four or five occupants—and maybe some squatters—who had dwelled there toward the end of a long line of ownership by a family of chiropractors, according to developer Will Hudson.

“I love the architectural style,” Hudson tells Curbed Atlanta. “It’s kind of funky for Atlanta. You might see it in Vegas or South Beach—that concrete with the slanted pillars.”

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The deteriorating building, formerly called “The Lake Apartments”—it was named after the family that had owned the property for more than a century, Hudson says—is slated to receive a fresh facade with new railings, paint, and glass.

“We’re not changing the footprint of the apartments; they’ll stay the same,” says Hudson. “But brand new everything else: new bathrooms, new kitchens, and all.”

There’s also some commercial space at the ground floor, which is being leased out by Vantage Realty Partners.

“We are about to start marketing [the ground-floor commercial space],” Hudson says. “We’re thinking a professional office, medical office, or something along those lines.”

Plus, the renovation is expected to bring activity to the building’s underutilized rooftop, which, the developer says, boasts views not unlike those at the Hotel Clermont.

“We’re gonna put down some turf and decking areas and those kind of things for our [residential] tenants,” Hudson says, adding that, in the future, the property could be rezoned to allow for some sort of public attraction on the roof.

“Possibly an 8ARM-like concept,” he says, nodding to the popular cafe down the street, near Ponce City Market.

The renovated one-bedroom apartments will start at $1,400 per month and are expected to be tenant-ready early next year, per Hudson.

Hudson Development

Hudson Development is also finishing construction of an eight-unit townhome project in the vicinity, at 910 Ponce de Leon.

Called “The Milo on Ponce,” the complex is selling units—half of them are under contract, Hudson says—starting around $900,000.

The six units closest to Ponce are almost done, he says, and the two at the back of the lot are projected to be complete within six weeks.

Also, catty-corner to the 892 Ponce project, a longstanding Moe’s Southwest Grill could be making way for a new condo development.