Press

By Ingrid Tunberg | September 06, 2019 at 06:00 AM

ATLANTA, GA – The Department Building in Atlanta, GA stood out among numerous, impressive historical preservation projects for GlobeSt.com’s 2019 ADAPT awards. We proudly honor the project as the winner for best repositioning of a historic building. We will be recognizing the project at our awards ceremony in Baltimore on September 16^th.

Considered one of downtown Atlanta’s most iconic, historic structures, The Department Building was first occupied by Regenstein’s Department Store, a go-to, high-quality women’s fashion emporium among locals in the 1920s.

Upon initially purchasing the building in 1954, Marx Realty decided lead a $10.5 million adaptive reuse and repositioning effort more than 60 years after the original acquisition. In order to preserve the nearly 100-year-old building’s art deco architecture and transform it into an office building, the real estate company partnered with design firm ASD | SKY to manage redesign efforts.

With a deep understanding for the original art deco architectural significance, the team aimed to utilize period details and highlight distinctive features in order to embrace the building’s history, before rebranding and reintroducing the space as a boutique office building.

Marx Realty president and CEO Craig Deitelzweig led the preservation and modernization efforts, seizing the opportunity to blend authentic historic aspects with a state-of-the-art technology-driven details from fixtures to furnishings.

The renovations on this 48,000-square-foot building included restoring 18-foot high terracotta barrel vaulted ceilings, fluted columns, brush walls and original wood floors, as well as implementing new elevator systems, loft-style floor plans, oversized windows, a dedicated lobby and rooftop amenities with downtown city views. The process required extreme care when handling various façade accents and dealing with the building’s original wood flooring, in order to return it back to its former glory.

Catering to the demand of high-quality workspaces and fine dining options in the neighborhood, Marx Realty has quickly filed the street-level retail spaces with prominent stores and restaurants, while working with the country’s top technology firms, streaming media platforms and additional companies to fill office space and welcome a new generation of creative professionals, as the remodel nears completion. The project’s neighborhood impact has also allowed the building to request higher rent from tenants than in years past.

A previously forgotten building, The Department Building has exceeded all expectations, generating a go-to destination, once again, for high-quality experiences in the downtown neighborhood. With an ever-changing city landscape, Marx Realty chose to showcase a stand-out, constant building.