ATLANTA — Ponce City Market, the 2.1 million-square-foot adaptive reuse of the former Sears Roebuck building in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward District, has earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places. Originally built in 1926 on the site of the former Ponce de Leon Amusement Park, the mixed-use project now features 550,000 square feet of Class A loft office space, 300,000 square feet of retail and restaurants and 259 residential flats. Situated along the Atlanta Beltline, Ponce City Market is owned by Jamestown and is the largest adaptive reuse project in Atlanta’s history, as well as the largest brick building in the Southeast.
Ponce City Market features 550,000 square feet of Class A loft office space, 300,000 square feet of retail and restaurants and 259 residential flats. (Photo courtesy of Jamestown)
The National Park Services placed Ponce City Market on the registry because of its historical significance to Atlanta. The building opened as a nine-story regional distribution center and retail destination for Sears and was surrounded by freight and trolley lines, as well as the Atlanta Crackers baseball field. Sears closed the retail component in 1979 but operated the regional office until 1987. The city of Atlanta purchased the property in 1991 and used it to house administrative offices until mid-2010 before selling it to Jamestown in 2011. In addition to its historical status, Ponce City Market has three LEED Gold certifications and won Urban Land Institute’s 2016 Global Award for Excellence. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the historic places in the United States worthy of preservation.