South Downtown’s beleaguered blocks continue to show signs of new life.

An adaptive-reuse hotel project on Pryor Street that marks a rare large-scale, non-governmental investment south of Five Points has begun scheduling hard hat tours and promoting room availability in hopes of opening this fall.

The Origin Hotel Atlanta, a Wyndham Hotels and Resorts property, has been delayed by construction issues but continues to remake a 1950s office building at 166 Pryor St. into a boutique hotel with 122 guest rooms and suites. Other features include a private event space on the top floor, plus an onsite restaurant and bar.

Situated about a block south of Underground Atlanta, or two blocks west of the Georgia State Capitol building, the hotel marks an important historical save and “jewel” of redevelopment, project leaders have said. Marketing materials describe the property as being “where dynamic cityscapes and Southern hospitality intertwine.”

A project rep tells Urbanize Atlanta the Wyndham team is aiming for an October opening as of now.

Interior designs of a demo room at the Origin property. Courtesy of Origin Hotel Atlanta

Atlanta iconography—including a depiction of the Beaux Arts-style Terminal Station, demolished in the 1970s—is included in a model room's wallpaper. Courtesy of Origin Hotel Atlanta

Online bookings begin Oct. 17, with nightly rates ranging from $151 to $549 for rooms with between 265 square feet (single queens) to 700 square feet (a “premiere suite” that sleeps four).

Hotel designs will lean into a midcentury aesthetic, with nods to Atlanta history. In addition to event spaces that include the rooftop with skyline views, the property will feature a retail storefront that sells ATL-themed souvenirs and gear, officials relayed this week.

Elsewhere, an all-day restaurant concept called Butter + Scotch has signed on to operate at the Origin hotel, from the same team that owns the celebrated Che Butter Jonez in Southwest Atlanta. Owner Detric Fox-Quinlan told Urbanize in April that construction crews have encountered hurdles at the property but that “everything promises to be absolutely beautiful upon completion.”

The building stands at the intersection of Pryor and Mitchell streets, roughly two blocks east of where developer Newport revived parts of downtown’s historic Hotel Row before handing over its portfolio to foreclosure. Tech-focused Atlanta Ventures has since purchased those properties and taken over redevelopment while adding more buildings to its portfolio, including most recently the Concordia Hall building that’s long housed Friedman’s Shoes.

A 50-foot art installation in the hotel’s lobby will serve as “a graceful nod to the neighborhood’s thriving arts community,” while bike rentals will be free for hotel guests. Plans for the loft-like aesthetics are described as a combination of high concrete ceilings and exposed brick walls with details such as patterned wallpaper featuring Atlanta landmarks, per the Origin website.

Exterior work in April at the 166 Pryor St. building in South Downtown. Submitted

The hotel will join others under the Origin brand in Austin, Lexington, Baton Rouge, and Red Rocks (Colorado), with another in Kansas City under development.

Mississippi-based The Thrash Group paid $16 million for the six-story office building two years ago, when plans were announced to complete a stalled renovation and open the former offices as a boutique downtown lodging option. Officials noted the hotel’s proximity to two MARTA stations—Five Points and Garnett—as a selling point at the time.

Head to the gallery for more context and a sneak peek at the Origin hotel’s design motif.

The Origin Hotel Atlanta's location where Pryor and Mitchell streets meet, in the context of South Downtown. Google Maps

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