Photos: How Druid Hills project replaced former church, Tudor mansion

Two years after construction kicked off, a unique Druid Hills project that blends adaptive-reuse retrofitting, infill development, and historic preservation (at least in part) is becoming a human habitation again. 

The first closings and move-ins are now underway at Tudor-style revival Downing Park, according to Monte Hewett, general contractor for the project’s non-condo portion. 

Downing Park's new construction replaced the razed Jackson Hill Baptist Church, while the historic, circa-1914 Tudor Revival mansion on site has been converted into five large condominium units on a property once collectively known as Pinebloom. It’s located where Druid Hills’ southern border meets Candler Park. 

The 1585 South Ponce de Leon Ave. project has produced four varieties of upscale home plans, ranging from the five condos and 11 attached villas to two manor houses and a repurposed carriage house that’s marketed as being one-of-a-kind in Atlanta.

All of that is under contract now, with the exception of two condos (priced from $895,000 for two bedrooms in 1,850 square feet) and the big daddy among standalone houses: A six-bedroom option with more than 5,000 square feet—and a $2.79 million price tag. 

One selling point, according to Hewett, is that exterior maintenance is included (for a monthly HOA fee). 

The project is being developed by Joel Reed of Reed and Company, while Atlanta-based TSW architect firm master-planned the Downing Park site and is serving as both architect and landscape architect. Hammertime Construction restored and converted the carriage house and mansion condos.

“The developer and owner understood that the 100-plus-year-old English Tudor Revival could not be replicated,” Hewett said in a project update this week. “The use of stone and stucco materials [beyond the former mansion] brings continuity, and the large modern windows create a unique juxtaposition.”

Broadly speaking, Downing Park continues Atlanta’s appetite for remaking church properties, as evidenced by new proposals and completed projects across the city.

Designed by architect Walter T. Downing, the Tudor home and its carriage house were built in 1914 for Georgia Railway and Power Company president Preston S. Arkwright, while the neighboring Jackson Hill Baptist Church was erected later. 

The Pinebloom property had been up for sale for more than a decade, but concerns about the decaying church building next to the mansion and other circumstances hampered prospective deals. According to the Atlanta Urban Design Commission, the original home and carriage house are considered contributing structures to the Druid Hills Landmark District, while the church was not. 

Downing Park marks the second recent repurposing of a historic church property in Druid Hills’ Ponce de Leon Avenue corridor, following Minerva’s conversion of Druid Hills United Methodist Church into condos called 1200 Ponce. Another adaptive-reuse project—a pocket neighborhood called Frederick Trust—now stands next door to Downing Park, just to the east.

Plans call for the Downing Park community to be gated, with access points on South Ponce and Clifton Terrace. Amenities will include a saltwater pool, sunbathing terrace, gardens, and a library in the mansion, according to project officials.

Head up to the gallery for more context, a thorough tour, and a quick look back at what preceded this unique infill endeavor. 

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