In Mercedes-Benz Stadium shadow, YWCA revival project in full swing

A societal cornerstone for neighborhoods in the western shadows of downtown Atlanta is making a comeback.

Shuttered for a decade, the Phillis Wheatley Westside YWCA is undergoing a major renovation at 599 Mitchell St. SW that kicked off a few months ago.

The 22,000-square-foot facility, built in 1951, stands across the street from the YMCA of Metro Atlanta Administrative Offices and Jordan Hall, roughly a block west of Mercedes-Benz Stadium, immediately south of Vine City’s southern boundary.

Following seven years of planning, YWCA Greater Atlanta officials kicked off a $19.5-million capital campaign last year—one of the largest in the association’s 123-year history—to bring the Phillis Wheatley Westside YWCA back to functional life. By this past summer, that campaign was completed.

Construction progress and fencing at the 599 Mitchell St. property today, with The Benz shown at left. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Planned entry for the Phillis Wheatley Westside YWCA at 599 Mitchell St. SW. YWCA Greater Atlanta

The facility is crucial to Westside neighborhoods where 60 percent of households are led by women—and more than 50 percent of residents live below the poverty line, YWCA officials have said.

When the YWCA closed in 2015, much of its wellness offerings, early learning facilities, mentoring, and other programming evaporated as well, as Atlanta Voice relayed when construction moved ahead in July.

The construction schedule calls for reopening the facility in the spring, prior to a month of 2026 FIFA World Cup matches down the street.

The renovated building, according to YWCA Greater Atlanta, will be the focal point of multiple programs aimed at helping Westside women and their families. It will include an Early Learning Academy, meeting spaces, an interactive media center, flexible classrooms, and various activity areas.

“The building will also return to its status as a social and civic space for community and neighborhood meetings and events,” according to a project overview.

The Mitchell Street building's facade prior to the launch of renovation work. YWCA Greater Atlanta

YWCA Greater Atlanta

As of July, several major Atlanta corporations had contributed more than $1 million to the project, and both the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation and an anonymous donor had chipped in more than $2 million each. Commitments to the project also included several million dollar’s worth of New Markets Tax Credits.

YWCA officials also credit CHRIS 180, Families First, Morehouse School of Medicine, YMCA of Metro Atlanta, and the Westside Future Fund with helping move the project forward.

Find more context and images in the gallery above. And let’s hope another area landmark—the long-abandoned stadium just down the street—gets similar treatment one day soon.

Building renovations along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard this past weekend. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta