Portman officials have said for months a single food-and-beverage operator will lease the entirety of a converted, landmark mortuary that’s the centerpiece of the firm’s massive and multifaceted Spring Quarter project.

Today that restaurateur was unveiled as Steve Palmer, an Atlanta native and founder of The Indigo Road Hospitality Group, the Charleston-based company behind local concepts such as West Midtown’s O-KU, Avalon’s Oak Steakhouse, and Colony Square’s Sukoshi.  

Palmer plans to transform all 24,000 square feet of the historic H.M. Patterson Home and Gardens into what’s being described vaguely as a “morning-to-night F&B destination,” serving as Spring Quarter's adaptive-reuse centerpiece amidst two new high-rise towers, with a third potentially to follow.

Portman officials said in an announcement today more details on Palmer’s concept will be shared soon.

“When we first saw The Patterson, I knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create something truly special in my hometown,” said Palmer in a prepared statement. “Midtown has become such a well-established dining destination that we’re proud to join.”

A new rendering illustrating how the H.M. Patterson Home and Gardens is being slotted next to Sora apartments (left) and the project's rising office tower. Courtesy of Portman

The mortuary's Spring Street facade, as seen in early 2023. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Spread across two stories at Midtown’s highest natural point, the elegant 1928 landmark has hosted the funerals of countless Atlanta notables, including Pulitzer Prize-winning author Margaret Mitchell and mayors Ivan Allen Jr. and William B. Hartsfield.

Historically protected, it was designed by famed architect Philip T. Shutze, whose portfolio also includes the Joseph Rhodes House (1926) and Buckhead’s Swan House (1928). Inside, the beautifully preserved chapel hosted its final funeral about four years ago. (Find our photo tour of the property here, published as restoration work ramped up earlier this year.)

Outside the century-old mortuary, situated just to the north, a large circular valet area is planned in the shadow of new towers, amidst gardens that are also historically protected.

The Patterson “is being thoughtfully reimagined to preserve its historic charm,” Portman reps relayed today.

The repurposed, historic H.M. Patterson Home and Gardens juxtaposed with lower office building floors. Courtesy of Portman

Entering the show-stopping chapel space off the main entry, where light preservation work had begun in spring 2023. Windows throughout the facility are being swapped with more efficient ones. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

The Indigo Road Hospitality Group announcement follows news earlier this month that Chef Fuyuhiko Ito—of Buckhead’s MF Sushi and Umi fame—will also open a contemporary Japanese concept called Souzo at the base level of the project’s office tower, 1020 Spring, next year. A private dining space called Omakase by Ito is also in the works for an eighth-floor rooftop space with skyline views at 1020 Spring.

In other Spring Quarter news, Portman officials say the 370-unit residential component, a 30-story tower called Sora, is now open and moving in its first residents.

Two months of free rent are being offered as an incentive at Sora, but after that rents start at $1,807 monthly for studio units with 524 square feet, per the building’s website.

The developer expects to deliver all facets of Spring Quarter by the third quarter of 2024.

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