NCAAbbs

When I was at Music Midtown, I noticed several high-rise condo complexes going up.

Now they're tearing down landmarks to make room for more - even in Atlanta. No wonder Birmingham is condo-happy...




Landmark to fall for condo project

By WALTER WOODS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 06/24/05

Backstreet, a disco that hosted the likes of Cher and Farrah Fawcett-Majors and was a landmark in metro Atlanta's gay history, will fall under the wrecking ball and be replaced by at least one, and maybe two, 40-story condo towers.

Developer Jim Borders, who is building condo high-rises from Buckhead to downtown Atlanta, plans to build the two condo skyscrapers in phases along Peachtree Street between Sixth and Seventh streets.

The first tower would open in 2007 and a second tower, if demand holds, would follow later, said Robin Loudermilk, president of furniture rental company Aaron Rents and a partner in the project.

"We have been developing residential communities in south Midtown since 1995, and this is simply the continuation of that activity," Borders said in a statement Thursday. "The development of this block is a key next step in this neighborhood's transformation into one of the premier urban environments in the Southeast."

Backstreet, a nightclub famous for its 24-hour cocktails and R-rated drag show, was a center of gay life in Atlanta for 30 years. It closed last summer after a dispute with the city over its business license.

Even when Backstreet was open, developers coveted the site for its Peachtree address and its prime location in the heart of a resurgent Midtown.

In recent years developers have surrounded the club with new projects. Borders' company, Novare Group, with Loudermilk and other partners, built a 29-story tower with 388 condos just across the street. That building, called Spire, will open later this year.

Borders' first high-rise project, the 500-unit Metropolis, opened a few blocks down Peachtree in 2002.

Metro Atlanta is enjoying its hottest condo market since Backstreet's 1970s heyday. More than 16,000 units sold here last year, up 30 percent over two years ago.

A number of those units have been in Midtown, the once-shabby district around Piedmont Park.

Developers like Novare, Trammell Crow Residential, Cousins Properties and Daniel Corp. (a partner with Magic Johnson) are building large residential projects at key sites around the neighborhood.

"Spire sold out in three to four months," Loudermilk said. "There's a lot of demand out there."

i hate it that a landmark in gay history had to be torn down.

They're just going to erect something new in it's place.

Lofts are the craze here but there are several luxury high-rises going up.

<a href='http://www.parkeasttower.com' target='_blank'>Park East Tower</a>


<a href='http://www.4545living.com' target='_blank'>4545 Lindell</a>


<a href='http://www.portstlouis.com/' target='_blank'>Port St. Louis</a>


These are two buildings going up near my place but I don't think they tore anything down so they could build them.

I <3 Dense Residential Spaces

Sarahbelle18 Wrote:I <3 Dense Residential Spaces

oh, i love living on top of other people, not having anywhere for my dog to crap or just run around, and having to fight for parking. just gimme more!!!

dfarr Wrote:oh, i love living on top of other people, not having anywhere for my dog to crap or just run around, and having to fight for parking. just gimme more!!!

Great stuff.

It depends on where those spaces are at.

Two of the high rises in STL are being built very close to Forest Park (1,400 acres) and the other is being built near the Arch, which has a good sized park of its own.

dfarr Wrote:

Sarahbelle18 Wrote:I <3&nbsp; Dense Residential Spaces

oh, i love living on top of other people, not having anywhere for my dog to crap or just run around, and having to fight for parking. just gimme more!!!

I would rather walk my dog to a park and not have a yard that I have use my weekends to mow and landscape.

Fight over a parking space? Why don't you just park and walk? Use the time you spend riding and stalking parking spots to get some fresh air and a little bit of exercise.

Gotta love Novare and Jim Borders' passion for Atlanta. He has literally transformed the landscape of the city with his projects, starting with the famed Metropolis development in 2002. He's also been doing great things in both Nashville and Charlotte, and has actually been searching for property here.

Backstreet has been closed for awhile. No loss.

Actually, Backstreet has been closed right at a year - and some of its loyal patrons tried to get together than re-open it with some strong financial backing.

Unfortunately, there were some situations that prevented that from happening - and now the developers are getting what they've wanted for a long time.