Emory to convert former Peachtree-Pine shelter into hospital staff apartments

477 Peachtree Street. (Courtesy Emory University) Emory University plans to construct more than 50 rental apartments for its healthcare employees by adapting and reusing two historic properties located across the street from Emory University Hospital Midtown. The building at 477 Peachtree Street was once home to the notorious Peachtree-Pine homeless shelter, which was closed in 2017 after years of complaints by neighboring businesses and residents due to rampant crime, drug use, and unsanitary conditions. Emory purchased the property in 2018. The building, designed by noted Atlanta architect A. Ten Eyck Brown, was originally the United Motors Services Building when it opened in 1921. Emory said in a press release that part of its adaptive reuse plan is to restore the Art Deco facade. As part of the conversion of 477 Peachtree to housing, an internal abatement and clean-up of the building was completed earlier this year, the press release said. Additional planned updates include a new roof and replacement of windows and doors. The adjacent building at 489 Peachtree, formerly home to the Pleasant Peasant restaurant and purchased by Emory in 2019, will be partially demolished due to its poor condition. The rear half of the building will be removed, which will allow daylight exposure to the north side of 477 Peachtree, allowing apartments along that side to have windows. The extent of the planned work at 489 Peachtree will require a special administrative permit from the City of Atlanta, which Emory filed an application for on Monday, July 7. “This project will provide Emory Healthcare staff with competitively priced housing close to work to improve their employee experience and quality of life,” Robin Morey, vice president of campus services and chief planning officer of Emory, said in a statement. “In addition to helping with the recruitment and retention of our workforce, our design will activate this area of the city with residential units and commercial uses.” Morey said Emory plans to use federal and state tax credits to offset initial capital costs of the project and make the investment viable. While the apartments are for hospital staff and not available to the public, Emory is exploring options for the 489 building, including a preschool facility that would be open to the public. The century-old buildings are on the northern edge of The Stitch, the project to cap a portion of the I-75/85 Downtown Connector. Atlanta Preservation Center Executive Director David Y. Mitchell praised Emory’s decision to adaptively reuse the historic structures. “Utilizing these buildings as housing for staff at the hospital will be a remarkable way to preserve the buildings,” Mitchell said. “This adaptive reuse is a huge win for the city.” The post Emory to convert former Peachtree-Pine shelter into hospital staff apartments appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.