On Atlanta’s Auburn Avenue, historic building to be reborn as co-working space

July 24,2017

A century-old brick building on Auburn Avenue is destined for some TLC, thanks to a grant by Invest Atlanta.

According to a filing with the agency, developer Gene Kansas plans to transform much of the building into a co-working office space complete with coffee bar.

Much of the first floor of the building currently houses the Apex Museum, which will remain, while upstairs the Southern Education Foundation will be relocating to make way for the new office.

The nearly 10,000-square-foot space will feature offices and studies, a library, a conference room, breakout spaces, a podcast studio, and the Milky Way Coffee Bar.

Once completed, the offices will provide space for two Residency Program Offices for Georgia State University and Georgia Tech, two Field Offices for community-oriented nonprofits, and offices for up to 25 community organizations.

Opened in 1910 as the Southern School Book Depository, the classical building was designed by noted Atlanta firm Hentz and Reid. The building was renovated by Menefee Architecture in 2004 to house the Apex Museum, and was again renovated following significant damage incurred during the 2008 downtown tornado.

The renovation continues a trend of revitalization on the street; 135 Auburn Ave. stands two doors down from the Daily World building, which was repurposed as apartments and retail space back in 2014.

Construction should begin by the end of the year, per plans, and last just five months.