Crane watch: West Midtown's tallest build in recent years takes shape

The tallest new building to recently alter Atlanta’s burgeoning skyline west of Georgia Tech is on pace to top out in September, a year and ½ after construction began, according to developers.

Stella at Star Metals—considered the third phase of the $500 million Star Metals District—is rounding into shape with unique exterior curves and making its vertical-construction mark over 11th Street, a block from Howell Mill Road in the Marietta Street Artery neighborhood.

The site is also immediately south of the Interlock district, where Lidl was announced this month as a grocery anchor in phase two.

Officials with Florida-based real estate firm The Allen Morris Company tell Urbanize Atlanta the Stella project currently stands at 18 stories. It’s scheduled to reach its maximum height of 22 stories in September, officials say.

That’s as many stories as another residential tower in the neighborhood—the glass-encased Seven88 West Midtown condo building that started delivering in late 2020.  

In terms of floor counts, that’s also significantly taller than the district’s first two buildings: Star Metals Offices (15 stories) and Star Metals Residences (nine stories; rechristened Sentral West Midtown). All three projects were designed by Miami-based Oppenheim Architecture. [UPDATE: 6:43 p.m., July 23: Dwell Design Studio officials reach out to say they're serving as architect of record on the Stella project.]

According to Allen Morris reps, Stella remains on pace to start delivering in April, with completion scheduled for late summer 2025.

Demolition of the site’s previous low-rise structures began in March last year.  

Stella’s plans call for 327 luxury apartments (most of them higher than level six) designed to capitalize on skyline views. Swanky in-unit features will include Italian cabinetry, imported stone countertops, 10-foot ceilings, and some balconies up to 14-feet deep with gardens, project officials have said.

At Stella’s ground floor, plans call for 25,000 square feet of retail anchored by two early tenant singings: restaurant concepts by Grass Fed Culture and Fishmonger, which is operating a temporary location in the former La Fonda space nearby. Above that, amenities will be topped with what’s described as “expansive rolling green roofs” and “curated terrace gardens.”

Other perks will include an infinity pool on the seventh floor, an indoor/outdoor gym with city views, onsite dog park, and a theater-style movie room. A two-story bar is also on tap for the 17th floor, with eastward views across the city.

Since its inception, Allen Morris officials have said the Stella tower will reshape the Marietta Street Artery neighborhood’s skyline in unique ways. Eventually, it’s expected to work in conjunction with a cluster of new high-rises with an “urban forest” feel across three additional phases. (The developer in late 2022 closed on an additional 3.3 acres where phases four, five, and six are planned.)

Earlier this month, Allen Morris officials filed plans with the city to make one of those buildings significantly taller than previously expected—up to 435 feet, a height comparable to downtown’s 100 Peachtree (aka, the Equitable Building)—in exchange for more open public space at street level.  

Collectively, Allen Morris expects to build roughly 3 million square feet of development in West Midtown, eventually costing around $1.5 billion.

In the gallery above, have a closer look at where things stand with Stella, and where they’re headed.

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