WonderRoot’s former art bungalow falls as Memorial Drive’s next apartments launch

The Memorial Drive corridor’s billion-dollar surge of development is continuing in a signifiant way in Reynoldstown, claiming a relic of the eastside’s independent arts scene in the process.

The blue bungalow where arts nonprofit WonderRoot had operated for a decade and a half is no more in the 900 block of Memorial Drive.

In its place is heavy equipment and construction fencing encircling an entire block, where an apartment project that’s been identified only as 982 Memorial—WonderRoot’s former address—is moving forward.

Days were numbered for the embattled art group’s quaint former home after the organization had abruptly shuttered in August, following the resignation of its founder.

Renderings by Smith Dalia Architects

The apartment complex by Urban Realty Partners and Prestwick Development Company would face two townhome developments with prices from the high $500,000s to nearly a million, a few blocks east of the Atlanta Beltline’s finished Eastside Trail.

Reps with Smith Dalia Architects told Curbed Atlanta last year the 982 Memorial project will bring 192 rentals to Reynoldstown.

The building is expected to stand six stories along Memorial Drive and slope to four stories as it nears the neighborhood’s single-family homes.

At last check, no retail was included in the plans, but designs did call for a grassy amenities area stretching along Gibson Street.