Monday, February 15, 2010
Restaurants Little Five Points’ Wrecking Bar eyed for brewpub, events space
Posted by Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley on Mon, Feb 15, 2010 at 6:19 PM
For years, the Victor Kriegshaber House — the beautiful yet beat-up Moreland Avenue mansion sometimes referred to as "The Wrecking Bar" — has sat in disuse. That might change.
Inman Park resident and brewmaestro Bob Sandage — whose Final Gravity homebrewing group was profiled by CL Food Editor Besha Rodell in our Jan. 2009 beer issue — has plans for the historic property located just south of Little Five Points.
Should everything go according to plan, Sandage would like to see the building become a brewpub and events space — a move that could add some much-needed life to the moribund strip of Moreland Avenue between L5P and Reynoldstown.
Built in 1900 for businessman and philanthropist Victor Kriegshaber, the house is one of Atlanta's few Victorian mansions — especially along a major thoroughfare — that's managed to dodge the wrecking ball. (The Atlanta Urban Design Commission has a thorough look at the house's history and architecture.) That characteristic, along with its charm, has earned the house a spot in many preservationists' hearts. Even a few Best Of Atlanta readers wanted to see good things come of the property. In April 2009, my colleague Scott Henry reported that the house was among several Atlanta landmarks left with an uncertain future after former owner Inman Park Properties defaulted on several loans.
At the Jan. 20 Inman Park Neighborhood Association meeting, Sandage presented his proposal to residents. According to a meeting summary in the most recent issue of the Inman Park Advocator (PDF),the brewpub would seat as many as 80 people and feature "locally grown, healthy items, with lunch entrees ranging from $6-$10 and dinner entrees from $10-$17." It'd close at 11 p.m. on weeknights and midnight on weekends.
Sandage, who also serves as the IPNA's public safety vice president, will have to overcome two hurdles: obtaining a liquor license and ensuring there's adequate parking.
According to the Advocator, L5P's zoning ordinance doesn't allow liquor licenses within 300 feet of a residence unless it's for a restaurant. The ordinance would have to be amended to allow for "brewpubs." The neigborhood paper also says Sandage is examining the possibility of using a "covenant in the property deed to protect the neighbors from a new business in the future getting extended hours."
And because the property can only accommodate 20 parked cars — Sandage's proposal would require 33 parking spaces — he's looking for off-site parking options.
Some of these details could very well have changed since the Jan. 20 meeting. CL contacted Sandage a few weeks ago when we first heard about his plans. He politely declined to comment at the time, saying he'd prefer to wait 30 days until he tended to some administrative hurdles. We sent him an email Sunday night and will update if we hear word. If you'd like to hear more about the proposal, the IPNA is scheduled to discuss the topic again at its next meeting on Feb. 17.
(Courtesy of City of Atlanta)
Comments (8)
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Yes, the situation is dynamic - changes every day. And, there will be many more challenges this year in regards to parking, zoning, alcohol, etc. This is why I told Thomas that I wanted to wait. Yes, public record since I needed to present to the neighborhood. But, too early to go to the masses and get everyone excited. If we can get over the numerous hurdles, I'll give more information than you ever wanted to know :) But, for now, all I can say is that I have a contract on a historic house(i.e., not purchased yet!).
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Why is Inman Park so lame? Your gentrification is ruining my dreams of a city with a real nightlife. closing at 11pm? Piss on you. Very good sir.
Jay, The nightlife left this city when the Imperial Government rolled back last call to 2am or whatever sad time it is now. So don't kill this guy for trying to do something interesting, blame either the government for raining on everyone's parade (which I do) or those jerkoffs who couldn't have the decency to shoot either after they got far away from any nightclubs (which triggered - pun intended - the death of Atlanta's nightlife). If you want a city with real nightlife, you better move to one of the 5 cities that have it, NYC, Miami, Vegas, Chicago or even New Orleans.
The house has sat vacant since the antique store closed because it is located nearly in a residential neighborhood. There is a house right behind the mansion that will have to endure whatever business opens up there. Mr Sandage is to be praised for having the vision to try to do something interesting with the property while still addressing the concerns and the rights of the people who live in that neighborhood. Plus if the rumor I heard about the brewer Bob is working with turns out to be true, the beer is going to be off the chain! Local beer, local food? What's not to like?
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Bravo Bob. I'm glad to see that you're still going at this full-steam. I'm a big fan of inman park and I hope this venture goes well for you. If you build it, they will come.....
I cannot wait for Bob to take over this amazing property. It has been an eyesore for years that held so much potential: kudos to the Sandages for taking this on. Living in Candler Park, I really appreciate how respectful y'all are being about the hours and integrity of the space.
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