PRESERVING THE PAST

PLANS FOR HISTORIC PULLMAN YARD ARE NOT THE USUAL MIXED-USE FORMULA

By Isadora Pennington

If you’ve ever driven down DeKalb Avenue past the intersection with Clifton, you may have noticed the looming buildings of Pullman Yard just on the other side of the tracks. The property is a sprawling combination of buildings and open spaces in various states of disrepair. Despite the graffiti on the walls, it’s rare to see anyone on the lot regardless of the time of day.

Originally built as an industrial complex by the Pratt Engineering Company in 1900, the buildings have been repurposed as both a train repair center for the Pullman Company in the 1920s and then later as an operations center for the now defunct New Georgia Railroad, which provided rail service to Athens. Since the 1990s the space has been largely abandoned except for private events and a filming location, including “The Hunger Games”. The property is currently owned by the state of Georgia, and is not open to the public without going through proper channels.

The historic buildings now stand in a state of disrepair, with collapsing ceilings and overgrown greenery. The grass may get mowed from time to time, but there is virtually no care going into the property on a regular basis. It’s no wonder that this mysterious and haunting remnant of Atlanta’s industrial history has piqued the interest of multiple organizations who foresee a vision for the property.

One of those people is David Epstein, executive director of local nonprofit Atlanta Contact Point (ACP), an organization that promotes physical activity and play for children and adults to combat obesity and encourage a healthy lifestyle. The nonprofit has, in partnership with Village Habitat LLC, proposed a plan under the auspices of Pullman Preserve, that would create a mixeduse development of art studios, urban gardening, sustainability classes, retail, a nature preserve and sports facilities.

“Atlanta needs an Intown space for its residents to be active, socialize and learn new things,” Epstein said. “It is in an optimal space to create special programming and education opportunities for the surrounding neighborhoods, including unique space for schools, seniors and adults to play and get together.”

The Pratt-Pullman property is actually part of the quiet Kirkwood neighborhood, and the community has expressed concerns with regard to redevelopment plans. Questions of vehicle access, parking, neighborhood traffic congestion, noise pollution and how best to honor and maintain the value of the historic property have lingered in the minds of those affected by the proposition.

The joint nonprofit/for-profit vision set forth by Pullman Preserve seeks to assuage those with doubts, asserting that conservation, preservation, education and a “full-bodied” approach to the development would be forefront in their plans.

“The main concern has been how to create a financially viable model,” explained Village Habitat director Greg Ramsey. “Pullman Preserve is addressing this with its for-profit and nonprofit model, designed to balance the commercial and nonprofit development to create a viable model.”

The venture would find funding from grants, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and contributions from local organizations in order to keep costs low, while also looking to generate money in studio rentals and sales at the proposed cafe, retail and market. Cooperation with inter-governmental partners, surrounding neighborhoods, and forprofit and nonprofit entities would be essential in the actualization of their plan.

“The project has been crafted so that each of these entities plays an appropriate part and together create a successful project,” Ramsey said.

In sharp contrast to Pullman Preserve, the other propositions that have been extended with regard to the property have typically been a combination of retail, office and living space along the lines of Edgewood Retail Center on Moreland Avenue.

“We do not have many properties left in Atlanta that can be utilized for the overall well-being of the community,” Epstein said. “This is a perfect opportunity to clean, preserve and transform into a special space for people to come together to play, learn and socialize.”

Epstein and Ramsey are hopeful that their ideas for Pullman

Preserve will strike a chord with the neighborhood, and empower those in the community through sustainability education.

“We feel very strongly if the state gives us a chance, we can make it happen,” Epstein said. “Otherwise, it will just go to the highest bidder for expensive townhomes and high-end shopping.”

To learn more about Pullman Preserve and to provide feedback or volunteer, contact David at info@atlcp.org or Greg at gramsey@villagehabitat.com. You can also see more photos, plans and diagrams online at atlcp.org/pullman-yard.

By Annie Kinnett Nichols

I’ve been addicted to thrift stores since I was 16. That’s when I broke gender norms and tried on my first Boy Scout uniform. I had found my fashion niche.

Since then, I’ve collected a sizable wardrobe and wear at least one thrift or vintage find everyday. In a time of Amazon, big box stores and malls, anyone can show up to a party wearing the same dress. I don’t have that problem and neither should you.

People have told me that excellent vintage is impossible to find, that all the good stuff is gone, but this has not been my experience at all. There’s always gonna be treasure troves to find as long as people have grandparents and attics and boxes that haven’t been discovered in years. And in Atlanta, it’s actually affordable.

Here are some of my favorite vintage and or thrift shops:

The Lucky Exchange

On any given day, someone will ask me where I got a piece of clothing, jewelry, shoes, purse or scarf. Lucky Exchange is usually my answer. Sheri Pair has an awesome knack for finding clean, preserved gorgeousness. From bright angora sweaters to sunglasses she picked up on a recent trip to Berlin, Sheri knows what her clients want. She’ll even pull stuff for you if she knows what you like and send you a text. She is also my fashion police. No matter how much I love something, she will thumbs down it if it doesn’t work and look perfect on me. It’s also the only place I can find designer jeans without the painful price tag. Featuring men’s clothes as well, I find something new and fun every time I walk through the door. 212 Ponce De Leon Ave., luckyexchange.com.

Value Village

Travel south out of Little Five Points and East Atlanta on Moreland Avenue and you’ll find Value Village. Clothes, housewares, toys, couches, stereos – this place is packed with great finds. Not everything appeals; you have to roll up your sleeves and dive in. I once threw a fancy engagement party and bought up all their clear glasses, wine, sherry, jelly jars – it made the party fun and everyone got to pick their own glass. So long, red plastic cups! They have a great deal on baby and kid’s clothes, too. When my daughter was growing up, I didn’t have the money to keep her in new clothes, but I would come to Value Village and find the perfect thing for her – lots of times with the original price tags still on them. 1374 Moreland Ave., valuevillageatlanta. com.

The Clothing Warehouse

I’ve found tons of great stuff at this Little Five Points shop through the years: cowboy boots, shirts, pants and dresses. The fantastic staff happily helped my daughter find items for cosplay. Prices are good, but some things are high end. Their displays show like a confection of colors, and it’s two floors of men and women’s clothes. 420 Moreland Ave., theclothingwarehouse.com.

Doubletake Recycled Luxury

Owner Daniel Troppy is the king when it comes to finding high-end, vintage couture. Definitely pricey, but when you’re a repeat client he will sometimes strike a deal. He’s an encyclopedia of fashion and will tell you the painful truth if you can’t carry it off. Troppy had a small storefront at Studioplex, but has currently moved everything online to doubletakerecycledluxury.com.

Highland Row Antiques

This place is the motherload! If you can’t find something here, I don’t know what to tell you. The real treasure is to be found downstairs, with one shop totally devoted to vintage and run by the owner Angela Carbon. There’s also Nutmeg Vintage. Neon Wolf and Yes!, which has faboo polyester dresses. Take your time and go through all the vendors – there’s knitted hair bows, kitchen aprons, fabrics, tablecloths and incredible old luggage sets to carry home your finds in. 628 N. Highland Ave., highlandrowantiques. com.

Paris On Ponce

My favorite place at Paris on Ponce is a shop run by Dawn Kaufman called Traveling Trends. There are racks of vintage clothes to sort through, shoes, jackets, beaded handbags and other great accessories for whether you’re traveling the world or just for a night out in Atlanta. 716 Ponce de Leon Place., parisonponce.com.