Atlanta & West Point Railroad Freight Depot - Atlanta, Georgia
N 33° 44.798 W 084° 21.477
16S E 744743 N 3737199
This modestly attractive railroad depot was constructed in the late 1920s to serve the freight businesses that established themselves along the 5.5 mile Atlanta Belt Line Railroad, a leasee of the A&WP.
Waymark Code: WM46Q0
Location: Georgia, United States
Date Posted: 07/15/2008
Views: 84
Today the depot is a successful restaurant/watering hole. Judging by the number of loft conversions in the neighborhood, it's about to become busier. The building was awarded a 'Best Adaptive Use' award, a significant architectural achievement.
From 'Georgia's Railroad History & Heritage'; Copyright, Steve Storey -
In November of 1900, the A&WP Railroad leased the newly constructed 5.5-mile Atlanta Belt Line Railroad, which extended from the A&WP main line at West End through southeast Atlanta to the Georgia Railroad at Inman Park. To serve the industries which were expected to locate in the area, the A&WP built a new freight depot. According to railroad historian Robert H. Hanson, the first depot was a frame structure that stood south of Memorial Drive. In the late 1920s, it was replaced by the present building, at 904 Memorial Drive.
Constructed of brick with graceful detailing and a widely overhanging tile roof, the building must have signified that the A&WP had high expectations for the neighborhood, an outlook which proved well-founded for a while. In the mid-twentieth century, however, prosperity moved elsewhere and the depot was abandoned and boarded up.
After standing vacant for many years, it was converted into a restaurant in 2007-08. The decaying properties around the building have also been rehabilitated and once again the neighborhood is on an upswing.
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The Depot won Best Adaptive Use Award by Atlanta's Urban Design Commission at its annual Awards of Excellence ceremony - (
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