Steve Baile has been developing tall buildings around Midtown for 20 years, dating back to the Midtown Plaza condo towers, the ones with Publix at the base.

But turning a full city block in the heart of Midtown, where West Peachtree meets 12th Street, into a 3.5-acre, tri-tower megacomplex all at once has been a new sort of formidable challenge.  

“This block took about 10 years to put together, soup to nuts,” explains Baile, Selig Development chief operating and development officer. “We were very cautious that once we announced [the project], it was because we had all our financing in place, and we were ready to go. There have been some credibility issues [with other major projects] in the neighborhood.”

Two years after breaking ground, and with COVID-19 delays in the rearview, all three buildings at 1105 West Peachtree have topped out, including the tallest new office tower Atlanta has seen since the Great Recession. Baile and staff led Urbanize Atlanta on a recent tour that included three construction elevator rides, social distancing galore, and compelling insights into how a project of this scale has evolved.

Tech titan Google has staked its claim atop the 31-story office building, with its 360-degree postcard views, and 125-year-old Atlanta law firm Smith, Gambrell & Russell has committed to leasing the majority of remaining floors. “We’re not supposed to talk about what percentage leased it is,” Baile notes. “The growth, up or down, from either one of those tenants hasn’t been determined” in terms of floors.   

Eastern views to Stone Mountain.
Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

That 700,000-square-foot component stands 420 feet, with a distinctive exoskeleton that should stand out, especially at night. The first office workers are expected to lug in their laptops this summer.

Meanwhile, come August, the 19-story boutique condo building should be open. At last check, 13 of its 64 units were under contract—five buyers being from outside Atlanta, the rest local. Prices for remaining homes at 40 West 12th start at $800,000.

Also this summer, the 16-story, 178-key Epicurean Atlanta hotel is expected to open, the pandemic be damned. “I think our timing is okay,” says Baile, “as we’re not reliant on convention business, being in the middle of the city.”

All three buildings will share a concealed parking deck and expansive amenities plaza. In the gallery above, have a look at how each component of this nearly 2-million-square-foot venture has come together concurrently—and where it’s all headed from here. 

• Midtown (Urbanize Atlanta)