UPDATED: Oakhurst Realty Buys Much of Downtown Avondale Estates

UPDATE:  Here’s a response about the purchase from Oakhurst Realty’s Fisher Paty…

We are thrilled about the acquisition of this building. Our goal is to be good stewards of this historic building and to help downtown Avondale Estates become a thriving commercial area. We believe the downtown area has tremendous upside and hope to help start the momentum.

From Bisnow Atlanta…

Late last week, we chatted with David Andes who informed us his firm has sold what amounts to Downtown Avondale Estates, the 26k SF retail/office tudor style building that is the landmark to the area on the main intersection. Atlanta-based Oakhurst Realty Partners purchased the building (listed on the National Register of Historic Places) for $1.08M, according to Databank.

Bisnow says that it took two years to consummate the sale and that we should stay tuned to hear what Oakhurst Realty has “in store” for the Tudor style retail strip.

Photo courtesy of duien via Flickr

h/t: Patch

55 thoughts on “UPDATED: Oakhurst Realty Buys Much of Downtown Avondale Estates”


      1. National Register status doesn’t protect a structure, unless the project involves Federal funding. Even then its mostly red tape and not outright restrictions on destruction.

  4. great.
    hope the new owners can truly exploit the huge potential downtown Avondale has.
    i’ve always believed, in spite of it lying fallow for decades, it could be a very charming and successful commercial destination.

    and don’t tear it down–it’s unique and interesting.

    1. You read my mind! :0)

      I love Avondale Estates’ quirky tudor look, and I can’t wait to see what the new owners have in store! What an exciting thing to buy a forlorn downtown and give it a whole new life!

    3. I’m in the don’t tear down, it’s unique camp.

      I’m not crazy about the Tudor style, but having said that, I’m not sure it’s the style, or the horrible condition that it’s in that I don’t like.

      The paint is in incredibly poor shape, so renovations wish a fresh color scheme and street scape TLC will make all the difference in the world.

      But where will all the new customers it brings, park? (Seriously)

    4. Anyone familiar with the “English Village” in Mountain Brook, AL (just outside of Birmingham) knows how the Tudor-style can be updated while retaining some history. Would love to see a similar change happen here.

  6. Thankfully this building will have LOCAL landlords. I know Oakhurst Realty sees the potential in AE. Hopefully, that building can be renovated either to a true, QUALITY tudor style or else something more commercially viable. I’d love to see that pitiful plywood and mismatched roofing redone. This could be a great jumping off point for AE!

  8. It would be super cool if they could find someone willing to revive the movie theatre.

    1. YEEESSSSSSS! I would go to the movies so much more if they were right there! And I can only imagine what a cool space that theater could be. I have long thought that revitalizing that theater would transform the area. I hope they consider it.

      1. There might be enough space there to do something like Cine in Athens, but that theater only works because it’s a nonprofit. From what I’ve heard, the space in Avondale has been completely changed since its theater days, making a revival no easy task.

      2. The artist in me would love it if there could be a theater again. I would love to see one specializing in art house and vintage movie fare. Look at Plaza Theater on Ponce to see how that is working out there: http://plazaatlanta.com

    2. I promise to go to the movies weekly, twice weekly if they have kids’ movies, if a movie theater is created. I know this is an even longer shot than Trader Will’s but I’m hoping….

    3. +1 for the movie theater! What about a cinema and drafthouse?

    1. FMF, you and I don’t always agree (although sometimes we do), but IMO you are consistently one of the most entertaining participants in this community.

        1. I have missed the joke. Who is Trader Will? I am familiar with his cousin, Trader Joe.

          1. I assume “Trader Will” is a reference to Shakespeare inspired by the architectural facade of the property.

  12. Bring back Avondale Ski shop.
    The theater at one time was a recording studio. It has seen better days.

    1. I remember in the late 80s when it was a club. I could get in with a fake ID.

  14. I’m thinking this could be a great Hogsmeade, starting with The Three Broomsticks and its butterbeer.

  16. There’s a burgeoning arts scene on Franklin Street and a nascent artisanal foods scene on Pine Street. The Beer Growler and the Little Wine Shop are there already. The new owners should look to the types of business that will be occupying City Hall East when that project is ready. The perfect businesses for AE would be the ones where retail business is gravy, almost an afterhought; think Spotted Trotter and Arden’s Garden in Kirkwood. I think it might be the case with Pine Street Market and Sweet ‘n’Sinful.

  18. I would love to see a longer term vision for AE. How about the light rail from Emory connecting to a new infill MARTA station next to the oversized lot where the building was torn down next to Laredo Drive. That lot then turns into a Transit Oriented Development with high density housing. The TOD can then provide a connection to DeKalb Farmers Market all the way through to historic AE downtown/Tudor World. From a MARTA standpoint there would be three TODs (Decatur, Avondale Station and the new infill station) which could feed off each other East/West. Who wouldn’t want to live in a new TOD at Avondale and take the train to Emory (20 minutes) or downtown Atlanta (20 minutes) or Buckhead (30 minutes). Restaurants would thrive and I think a spruced up Avondale Theater could host international and independent films while selling craft beers.

    3. Check out the TOD planned for the Kensington MARTA station: http://tswdesign.wordpress.com/2012/04/18/check-out-the-kensington-lci-tod-plan-blog/

  20. I have an idea…how about Oakhurst Realty make a blog available where anonymous people can tell them all the things they should do with the property. Oh, wait…

    🙂

  22. Ye Olde Henry VIII Casino.
    Tagline: Lose your money, not your head.

    Bloody Mary Bar (of course).

  24. Happy for this but I hope the new owners don’t get bogged down by the AofE City government. Lack of any sort of commercial acticity or development there predates the most recent recession and the failed Publix development so at some point, someone has to look in the mirror and shoulder some of the blame for the area’s demise. This web site hits the nail on the head:
    http://keep-avondale-estates-lame.org/

  28. Gads, it needs so much work, I can’t imagine it getting to a place where it could be called charming. But with luck, that’s what they will indeed do!

    And by the way – us in the unincorporated side of Avondale Estates would either like to secede and just be called “Avondale” or be included, please. We are SO the ugly step-sisters over here. No emails, no newsletters, no nothing. And yet, we have the same name. Bah.

    1. Just call yourself Scottdale. As long as you have the right zip code, you’ll get your mail.

      1. Except for ‘downtown’ Avondale – pretty much everything north of the Abelia hedge.

  30. Hi Elisabeth: you can tap into Avondale news very easily.

    Go to http://www.avondaleestates.org under the heading “Right Now in Avondale Estates”. You will find a link to the “Newsletter” (the green alternative to a mailed newsletter) and also the “Sign up for City Hall New Email” link. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and follow the NIXLE link to sign up for eblasts about crime and emergencies in the 30002 area.

  32. I would love to see some restaurants in the tudor village, although I’m sure updating the structures for that purpose would be a huge undertaking.

      2. I’m confused. I remember when Thumbs Up was in Decatur in the corner where Cakes and Ale started. Then it moved up the block to a larger location. Then it left. Then it came back under new ownership. It was in Avondale for awhile? When?

        1. Thumbs Up was in the old Cakes & Ale space. As I recall it closed because the owners wanted to take a break from the restaurant business. A new restaurant with a similar menu , Crescent Moon, opened in its place. Crescent Moon is the one that eventually moved to the larger location up the street.

          I won’t go into all the issues – they are well documented on this blog- but after some problems, Crescent Moon went out of business and Thumbs Up took its location on Ponce.

          While Crescent Moon was still flourishing, Thumbs Up had re-opened in Iman Park/ Edgewood area and then expanded to additional locations . I know of Avondale, College Park and downtown on Marietta St . The Avondale location closed a few years ago…I think just before they returned to Decatur. Not sure if all of these locations are under same ownership or if some are franchises.

          1. It was on North Clarendon just before the fire department. From what I understood – they were asked to close (or something like that) because of the imminent rebuilding plans for downtown Avondale Estates, which went bust when the recession hit. (They were going to redirect the main road and it was going to go right where their building was?) Anyhow, what a terrible loss. Every weekend there was a line to get in and it was walking distance from our home. It was an instant gathering place. No more.

            1. Parking at that location was a huge issue – totally inadequate for the number of people patronizing them.

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