Anyone who hasn’t ventured the BeltLine’s Eastside Trail through Reynoldstown lately has missed multiple development sites remaking either vacant or underused land directly fronting the popular pathway.
The most noticeable of those changes is the subtraction of the century-old Stein Steel factory—and the construction of a unique, al fresco dining and bar space built from pieces of the old industrial buildings.
Beneath a partially translucent roof, the adaptive-reuse restaurant is the only non-residential portion of Empire Communities’ development simply called Stein Steel, which includes 900 feet of prime-time BeltLine frontage across its 6.5 acres.
The two-level, patio-heavy concept, Breaker Breaker, will stand where Wylie Street meets the Eastside Trail, a section of the BeltLine that’s currently lacking any retail or food-and-beverage draws.
Where the Breaker Breaker space has incorporated existing steel infrastructure and laid its foundation near Wylie Street. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta
Pieces of a building used as part of the steel fabrication facility have been relocated to the site’s north end, and the restaurant is being built inside and around that. Officials with Bridger Properties, the company handling Stein Steel’s restaurant portion, have said they hope to open the 9,000-square-foot space by Labor Day.
As designed by Square Feet Studio, the open-air pitstop will be surrounded and topped by outdoor patios and covered seating, with an indoor-outdoor bar serving walk-up guests from the BeltLine. The firm’s previous restaurant design work includes Staplehouse, Bread & Butterfly, Kimball House, and the BeltLine-fronting patio at Kevin Rathbun Steak.
The entry off Wylie Street, where existing steel infrastructure will be incorporated.
Courtesy of Bridger Properties; designs, Square Feet Studio
Bridger Properties is partnering with Alex Brounstein and Johnny Farrow, of Grindhouse Killer Burgers, to develop the Breaker Breaker concept. The restaurant will specialize in hand-held food (think: tacos and fish sandwiches) along with rotisserie chicken dinners. Expect no shortage of beer, frozen drinks, and wine.
Meanwhile, Empire has razed the nearly century-old steel plant to build a mix of 276 townhomes and condos, plus a section reserved for greenspace. Prices will range roughly from the $300,000s to $600,000s, officials said last year. The coveted site had been marketed as Atlanta's equivalent to beachfront property, and three dozen developers approached the steel company about buying it.
Have a look at where things stand in Reynoldstown right now—and where they're headed—in the gallery above.
• Recent Reynoldstown news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)
