Anyone who’s complained that Midtown is losing too much of its original charm in favor of glassy high-dollar development can chalk one up in the win column.

An early 1900s home on West Peachtree Street that’s been described by the Midtown Development Review Committee as “stately” and “one of the last remaining vestiges from Midtown’s early days” has sold to local restaurateurs after coming to market in 2019.

Mark Lindenbaum, JLL Capital Markets managing director, tells Urbanize Atlanta the buyer is Midtown’s Pasta da Pulcinella, a beloved “cozy Italian dining” eatery in operation since 1994.

Lindenbaum said the deal closed in recent days. The sales price wasn’t disclosed.

It’s “very unique to sell property to a restaurant during COVID, but their timing is impeccable,” Lindenbaum noted in an email.

The home's current context, with much taller neighbors. Google Maps

Pasta da Pulcinella is currently housed in a quaint, yellow 1930s bungalow at 1123 Peachtree Walk NE, a couple of blocks from its future home at 1100 West Peachtree Street NW.

Lindenbaum said the restaurant is being displaced by the second phase of Selig Development’s 1105 West Peachtree venture—for which a handful of renderings have recently emerged—necessitating a move.

Now sandwiched between 23-story SkyHouse Midtown and Northside Hospital’s 12-story medical office building, the two-story, 5,500-square-foot house on West Peachtree had been converted to offices years ago. Its fate was thrown into question in 2019 when former tenants cleared out, and marketing materials stressed redevelopment opportunities for .23-acre site.  

According to Lindenbaum, the property’s seller, Novare Group, had two major requirements for any potential buyer: They could not be residential developers, and anything that replaced the old house could not climb higher than 50 feet.

“Ultimately,” said Lindenbaum, “we found a user that will keep the beautiful old house—it’s not designated historic—and create a great hospitality destination for Midtown.”

Renovation plans include a “generous” outdoor patio fronting the street and a general refresh of the home’s exterior detailing, according to BCY Architects’ plans submitted to the Midtown DRC in November. Overall, the governing committee was “enthusiastically supportive” of the renovation project, per a meeting recap.

The proposed renovation design brought before Midtown DRC in November. BCY Architects, via Midtown Alliance

Pasta da Pulcinella plans to open in its new space this fall, said Lindenbaum.

The location’s attributes, as marketing materials pointed out, include an 88 Walk Score and two MARTA stations within a five-minute walk. The planned patio will also face Selig’s 31-story new office tower, which will soon be chockfull of attorneys and tech workers.  

The restaurant “lucked out with 500,000 square feet of Google people across the street,” said Lindenbaum.

• Recent Midtown news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)