The adaptive-reuse transformation of a long-vacant, high-profile Midtown structure into a hip restaurant with a rooftop scene appears to be off the table.
Prominent Midtown property holder Dewberry Capital recently filed paperwork for a Special Administrative Permit to demolish two buildings at 132 10th Street, adjacent to one of Atlanta’s marquee intersections at 10th and Peachtree streets.
That filing set off alarm bells among intown development watchers in that the address matches that of Henry’s Midtown Tavern—very much an active intown restaurant and bar. Henry’s has been open for a decade at the tree-shaded corner of 10th and Juniper streets, featuring what it claims is Midtown’s largest outdoor deck.
Dewberry representatives haven’t responded to inquiries about their plans. The controversial developer has long owned the entire block in question, spanning nearly 4 acres of what’s considered some of the most valuable real estate in the Southeast.
But according to Midtown Alliance, Dewberry’s target for demolition appears to be only a partly deconstructed building just west of Henry’s, where construction on another restaurant hit a wall months ago.
How the roofless structure appeared along 10th Street in January. Google Maps
Construction progress and exposed interiors as seen a year ago. Chandlee Construction/@chandleesons
Brian Carr, Midtown Alliance director of marketing and communications, tells Urbanize Atlanta demo plans appear to pertain to the 110 10th Street building once operated as Jocks & Jills Sports Grill during Midtown’s more raucous nightlife heyday. It was also a short-lived bodega called Mamanoes that shuttered in 2012 but has been vacant since.
A year ago, contracting and design firm Chandlee Construction started remaking the building into an Asian dining concept with rooftop seating and a bar. According to the contracting company, the Stix Asian Cuisine restaurant was set to introduce designs “inspired by a NYC award-winning legendary location” at the prominent Midtown corner.
“The plans for the Asian restaurant to go into that space as adaptive-reuse have been canceled, but we aren’t aware of any definitive plans for the area where the building will be demo’d,” Carr wrote via email.
Carr said a weather event caused a wall to cave in at the site, resulting in structural damage. “We literally heard [and] saw the collapse from our office windows overlooking the site,” he noted.
The planned look and functionality of the 10th Street facade. Chandlee Construction/@chandleesons
How the rooftop would have functioned near the corner of Peachtree and 10th streets in Midtown. Chandlee Construction/@chandleesons
Prior to renovation efforts, the building included about 5,700 square feet and “plenty of parking,” with a valley of asphalt behind it, per a LoopNet listing from 2014.
In more uplifting news from the immediate area, Midtown Alliance transformed the corner of Dewberry’s property into the 10th Street Temporary Park project late last year.
The greenspace with three “outdoor rooms”—one section with a fenced dog park, one with games such as ping-pong and cornhole, and another with a climbable structure—consumed the northeast corner of Peachtree’s intersection with 10th Street and has since become a popular (if impermanent) hangout for pet-owners and events such as movie nights.
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