Ponce City Market facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Sears, Roebuck and Co. Mail-Order Warehouse and Retail Store
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Ponce City Market under renovation in May 2012
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 Location in Atlanta
Location in Georgia (U.S. state)
Location in the United States
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| Location | 675 Ponce de Leon Ave., NE, Atlanta, GA |
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| Built | 1926 |
| NRHP reference No. | 16000769 |
| Added to NRHP | Nov 15, 2016 |
| General information | |
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| Address | 675 Ponce de Leon Ave. NE |
| Town or city | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 33°46′22″N 84°21′57″W / 33.7729°N 84.3657°W |
| Inaugurated | 1926 |
| Renovated | 2011–2014 |
| Owner | Jamestown |
| Dimensions | |
| Other dimensions | 2.1 million sq. ft. (approx.) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architecture firm | Nimmons, Carr and Wright, Architects (Chicago) |
Ponce City Market is a huge building in Atlanta, Georgia. It used to be a big Sears store and warehouse. Now, it's a busy place with lots of different things inside. You can find shops, restaurants, offices, and even apartments there!
The building is very large, about 2.1-million-square-foot (200,000 m2). That makes it one of the biggest buildings in the southeastern United States. It sits on a 16 acres (65,000 m2) piece of land. Ponce City Market officially opened its doors on August 25, 2014. In 2016, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places, which means it's an important historical site.
Contents
What's Inside Ponce City Market?
This big building is home to many exciting things. It has offices, apartments, and a special area called a food hall. There are also many retail stores, places for learning, and even a fun amusement park on the roof!
Shops and Restaurants
You can find many popular stores here, like Anthropologie, Citizen Supply, J. Crew, Williams Sonoma, and West Elm. The food hall at Ponce City Market is very famous. It's similar to the well-known Chelsea Market in New York City. Some award-winning chefs have restaurants or food stalls in the food hall.
Office Spaces
Many companies have their offices at Ponce City Market. One of the biggest is Rocket Science Group, which is the company behind the global marketing platform MailChimp. The educational website HowStuffWorks also has offices here.
History of the Building
The land where Ponce City Market stands has a long history. It was once home to Ponce de Leon Springs, which later became the Ponce de Leon amusement park.
The Sears Era (1926-1987)
From 1926 to 1979, this building was a major Sears, Roebuck and Co. location. It served as a retail store, a large warehouse, and a regional office. Sears used this Atlanta location to connect with farmers in the Southern states.
- Radio Show: From 1926 to 1928, Sears hosted a radio show called "Dinner Bell R.F.D." from the building's tower. It featured old-time music and was for farmers.
- Farmers' Market: Sears also ran a farmers' market on the property from 1930 to 1947.
- Community Partnerships: The market worked with local 4-H Clubs and Future Farmers of America clubs.
- In 1979, the Sears retail store closed. However, the building continued to be a Sears regional office until 1987.
City Hall East (1990-2010)
In May 1990, the city of Atlanta bought the building for $12 million. They planned to use it for city offices, including the police and fire departments. They even opened an art gallery on the first floor.
- From 1995 to 1999, the Southeastern Flower Show was held in the building.
- The building was closed to the public on March 29, 2010.
Ponce City Market Today
On July 11, 2011, the City of Atlanta sold the property for $27 million to a company called Jamestown. Jamestown decided to turn the old Sears building into the amazing mixed-use development we see today. They spent about $180 million on the project!
Michael Phillips, a manager at Jamestown, said they wanted Ponce City Market to become one of the top food halls in the U.S. He compared it to famous places like Pike Place Market in Seattle and Chelsea Market in New York City. Jamestown also planned to have rooftop gardens where local restaurants could grow fresh food.
It was hoped that this new development would help connect the different neighborhoods around it. It would also help bring new life to the Ponce de Leon Avenue area.
In August 2012, a coffee shop called Dancing Goats opened in a temporary spot. This was in the renovated Sears auto service center building.
Ponce City Market officially opened on August 25, 2014. The first businesses to open included Binders, General Assembly, and the Suzuki School. Soon after, athenahealth moved 200 employees into their new office space. Residents also started moving into the apartments, called the Flats at Ponce.
Images for kids
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Exit heading to the Beltline trail
