City, preservationists halt demolition of historic Inman Park building

The partial demolition of a corner building that’s stood for roughly a century in Inman Park had both neighbors and preservationists up in arms in recent days.

All that remains of the single-story structure at 716 Edgewood Avenue is one exterior wall, painted with a longstanding mural along Krog Street. Next door, the final phase of Toll Brothers’ (formerly Thrive Residential’s) townhome development Emerson on Krog is under construction.

Prior to development along Edgewood Avenue in 2019, Atlanta Urban Design Commission staff called for the building to remain standing, and that a renovation planned by developers “shall retain the architectural character of the existing building except in the cases of material deterioration or missing elements.”

According to Inman Park Neighborhood Association and Atlanta Preservation Center officials, development crews determined that walls of the building had to be torn down and reconstructed, but no demolition permit was obtained.

After noticing the walls coming down, Inman Park neighbors called the APC on June 9 and asked for help sparing the structure.

David Mitchell, APC executive director, said his staff provided images to City of Atlanta officials, and a stop-work order was issued at the site the next business day.  

APC and Inman Park heads are calling for the building to be fully resorted now to standards that meet Inman Park Historic District Regulations.

“The developer felt that the missing walls were too badly deteriorated to restore without first deconstructing them,” Sandy Hoke, IPNA vice president of historic preservation, tells Urbanize Atlanta. “They intend to use as much of the original material as possible in rebuilding the walls, and to provide a finished product which will comply with the [AUDC’s approved] plans.”

In a statement this afternoon, Toll Brothers’ Atlanta Urban Division vice president Jonathan Carter said the company never intended to dimmish Inman Park’s historic fabric.

“Since the inception of our Emerson on Krog community, we have partnered closely with the [AUDC] on its design, including approved plans for the restoration of the historic building on the site,” Carter wrote. “We look forward to continuing to work cooperatively with the community to achieve our shared goal of preserving the historic integrity of this incredible neighborhood.”

Mitchell said the APC hasn’t been able to determine exactly what the circa-1928 building had been used for in decades past, though it was clearly retail like that of a mattress business across the street.

“It provided goods and local services as a store, hence why it’s historical,” Mitchell said. “There was an entire row of buildings there, and that’s the one that made it.”

Eventually, plans call for joining the building with an abutting townhome, said Hoke.

With its Euro-inspired, contemporary-classic aesthetic, Emerson on Krog will consist of 22 four-story residences, just up the street from Krog Street Market. Remaining units are priced from $1.05 million to $1.8 million.   

Mitchell likened the demo situation to the partial collapse—and subsequent rebuild—of the former Masquerade music venue in Old Fourth Ward during its redevelopment in 2019.

“Now we’re working together as a community,” he said. “It’s a happier ending."

• Fresh renderings, timeline emerge for Krog Street Market expansion (Urbanize Atlanta)