ATLANTA — An Atlanta landmark that sat vacant for more than a decade is now being reimagined. On Tuesday, the city of Atlanta broke ground on a 148-unit apartment community for low-income seniors on the grounds of the old Atlanta Civic Center.
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Eighty-six-year-old Frederick Primus will never forget the times he rubbed shoulders with the biggest names in showbiz.
“James Brown,” Primus said, and countless others who took the stage at the Atlanta Civic Center.
From the late 1960s to its closure just over a decade ago, it was a landmark in the city’s Old Fourth Ward.
“Y’all, this moment today is more than a groundbreaking. It’s a homecoming. It’s a promise,” Atlanta Housing CEO Terri Lee said.
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Atlanta Housing acquired the 19-acre site back in 2017 and is now ready to redevelop it to help the city’s low-income seniors.
“We commit to make (a) roof for them as they have paved the way for us,” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said.
The center will be a $60 million, 148-unit affordable housing community.
Officials say it’s part of a billion-dollar investment that will include commercial, retail, and an additional 1,500 residential units.
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Once upon a time, Primus worked at the Civic Center. He’s glad this place will now serve fellow seniors, but he’ll always miss the old days.
“I’ll always have great memories of this place,” Primus said.
The new senior apartment community should be ready in 18 months.