It’s been nearly a year since we took to the skies over Goat Farm Arts Center to see where the historic property’s long-discussed, mixed-use redo stands. And what a difference a year makes.
The adaptive-reuse remake of the Goat Farm—a creative institution of artist studios and performance spaces—has been percolating since pre-pandemic times in Blandtown’s southern fringes.
Tucked away from public view (unless you live in neighboring apartments), construction continues to barrel ahead around the historic mill property long cherished by Atlantans for its funky, indie vibes and relatively ancient architecture.
More specifically, a puzzle of three new buildings now stands beside the old.
The Goat Farm Art Center's 12-acre property surrounded in Blandtown by active rail, the Atlanta Waterworks complex, a MARTA facility parking lot, and the area's groundswell of new residential development.
Early expectations for the $250 million overhaul called for finishing the project, with a fusion of new development and adaptively reused, circa-1880s buildings on site, sometime last year—until a global pandemic interfered. But vertical construction has clearly ramped up over the past year across the Goat Farm’s roughly 12 acres.
Permitting details from 2021 indicate developer TriBridge Residential is moving forward with a 210-unit, mixed-use apartment component flanking the former textile mill’s cornerstone brick structures. Fifteen percent of the rentals are being capped for households at 80 percent of the area median income or below, with studio apartments expected to start in the $1,150 range, developers have said.
About 35,000 square feet is being dedicated to non-residential space, according to permit filings. Also under construction is the new 25,000-square-foot home of The Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, which is currently located in Buckhead but needs additional gallery space and room to grow in the future.
View from the west with Buckhead at left, and Midtown at right.
The long-term outlook for the Goat Farm’s redo also calls for more studio space than before (80,000 square feet), a boutique hotel, coffee shop, and community spaces.
In the gallery above, find a bird’s-eye view of where Goat Farm construction stands today, and where it’s eventually headed.
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