In Bankhead, inclusive $15M ‘Transformation Center’ officially arrives

A distinctive new Bankhead complex designed to be a springboard toward “stability, opportunity, and long-term transformation” has officially opened its doors, as City of Refuge project leaders recently relayed. 

Following a year and ½ of construction, the City of Refuge Transformation Center—christened “The 1343” as a nod to its address along Joseph E. Boone Boulevard—held a ribbon-cutting late last month led by Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and other dignitaries.  

Punctuated by archways, angular brick walls, and an abundance of windows, the latest intown project from nonprofit organization City of Refuge houses a broad range of uses (including affordable-rate apartments) in a three-story, 37,000-square-foot building. 

The project’s goal is to fill gaps in wellness, economic, and health services in Bankhead and surrounding Westside neighborhoods, “marking a significant step forward in revitalizing the 30314 community,” per City of Refuge officials. 

The $15.2-million development broke ground in summer 2024 at 1343 Joseph E. Boone Boulevard, a former American Legion lot.

The site is due south of Shirley C. Franklin Park and adjacent to The 345 project—a remake of the abandoned, 1950s Danzig Hotel—that City of Refuge opened in 2023 as 31 units of supportive housing for men. 

On the residential side, the building counts 25 units of affordable housing geared toward legacy residents, with 13 of those reserved for renters earning 30 percent of the Area Median Income or less. Included are a mix of two and three-bedroom apartments, with one four-bedroom unit in the building.

On the least expensive end, the 13 units capped at 30 percent AMI rent for between $689 for a two-bedroom option (826 square feet) and $796 monthly for three-bedrooms (up to 1,343 square feet), according to Invest Atlanta tabulations from 2024. 

As designed by Rickman Architecture + Design, the building also counts 7,640 square feet of commercial and amenity space at the ground level. It includes a fresh market, mental health clinic, community bank, and a business and entrepreneurship incubation hub. 

The latter component offers classrooms, offices, and a lab in hopes of training 100 budding entrepreneurs per year as a means of economic stimulus on the Westside, City of Refuge officials have said. 

For residents, building amenities include a community room, washer and dryer connections, and an outdoor sitting space.

According to project officials, the Transformation Center is a two-minute walk from City of Refuge’s Westside campus, which is considered the headquarters of several satellite campuses across the country.

City of Refuge’s first Atlanta project, a rental community called The 1300, finished in summer 2020. Alongside GROWTH Homes, the agency in 2024 also built five new standalone houses for families adjacent to its Joseph E. Boone Boulevard campus, with prices starting at $279,000.

A significant portion of Transformation Center funding was sourced from donations, including $3 million from the Chick-fil-A Foundation and $2 million from the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta and TogetherATL to help build affordable housing. The project also received a $3 million federal New Market Tax Credit through Atlanta Emerging Markets and Capital One.

Invest Atlanta also approved $2 million in funding in the form of a Beltline TAD Increment Improvement Grant.

Have a closer look at the Bankhead venture in the gallery above. 

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