If Atlanta lofts got any closer to the BeltLine, they’d trip people.

But Eastside Trail proximity is just one draw to this adaptive-reuse condo community that somehow manages to hide in plain sight, despite being passed each year by millions of people on foot, bike, scooter, roller skates, Tron-like electric unicycles, and every other mode of non-vehicular transportation imaginable.

Not just near the BeltLine but abutting it, Factory Lofts in Virginia-Highland was built—as the name suggests—as a factory in 1925 and converted to a dozen condos in the 1990s. For most of its life, the building fronted a railroad corridor and then a kudzu-covered trail of sadness. But since the Eastside Trail debuted a decade ago, these patios have basically been beachfront.

Proximity to Ponce City Market and downtown, illustrated. Photography by Jordan Nelson; courtesy of Compass

Listed this week with Compass at $675,000, the loft in question (Unit 101) is a three-level corner space the agent describes as rarely available, flooded with natural light, and the “epitome” of loft living in this city.

It counts two bedrooms and three bathrooms in 1,691 square feet—for a breakdown of $399 per square foot. (Another consideration: HOA dues of $459 monthly).

Two walls of windows in the corner unit. Photography by Jordan Nelson; courtesy of Compass

Like most homes here, it’s a blend of modern sensibilities and industrial soul without forcing or faking the latter. The north wall of all brick, like the wood-truss ceilings, is original to the building, nicely complementing the concrete floors and steel floating stairs. The floorplan might not be conducive to big families or boatloads of guests, but it does allow for privacy. 

Upstairs offers a private rooftop deck off the owners suite, with skyline vistas and perhaps the best view of Home Depot's roof on the eastside.  

The single parking space should matter less here than almost every other eastside location, with Whole Foods, Ponce City Market, and recreation options such as Piedmont Park a quick stroll away. A storage unit described as “huge” also comes with.

Few are the condo patios where you could sip a Happy Hour cocktail at home while high-fiving that joyful BeltLine guy in headphones who constantly sings. But this place has one. Peruse further in the above gallery. 

• Mixed-uses bound for prime corner on Virginia-Highland retail strip (Urbanize Atlanta) 

• 675 Greenwood Avenue NE, Unit 101 (Compass)