The Atlanta Business Chronicle reports that Jamestown Properties will put $180 million into the old City Hall East and turn it into Ponce City Market.  According to the ABC…

Early plans call for about 236,500 square feet of retail and 21,250 square feet for restaurants. Developers will also try to lure companies that want loft office space — a rarity in Atlanta. They’d offer 100,000 square feet floor plates and skyline views.

For a bit of context, North DeKalb Mall offers 635,000 square feet of retail, while Lenox Square has 1.5 million square feet.  However, the retail renderings remind me primarily of the Grove Arcade in Asheville, which is actually of similar size in terms of retail at 260,000 square feet.

Sounds like this old Sears and Roebuck building could be pretty dang cool once all is said and done.

A couple more rendering pics HERE.

“The Civil Wars are by far the BEST live band i have EVER seen. They are magical and stunning, they make my heart hurt but make it a bit stronger at the same time too! perfect timing! please check them out, their record is beautiful.  i’ve never been so blown away. i could go on gushing forever…”

I know, I know…that sounds like a teenage girl going over the top about some new CD. Actually, it’s a twenty-three-year-old. Named Adele.

In the past year, the Civil Wars have toured with Adele, and played A Prairie Home Companion, All Thing’s Considered and The Tonight Show, where even Steven Tyler, of all people, went kinda crazy over them. If you’ve got Steven Tyler, Adele, Taylor Swift (who has been all a-twitter about them), Paste’s Josh Jackson and Garrison Keillor all gushing about you at the same time, you’ve got to be doing something right.

All this for a act barely three years old. Live at Eddie’s Attic was their first release, a 2008 live recording from down there on N. McDonough of the second show the duo of Joy Williams and John Paul White ever played under the name “The Civil Wars,”.  It’s been downloaded over 100,000 times.

These days, when people talk about the history of Decatur music, they talk about how the Indigo Girls are from here, and how John Mayer worked the door at Eddie’s Attic, and how Sugarland formed here and how Shawn Mullins broke out of here. The Civil Wars’ 2011 Album, Barton Hollow is lining up awards, selling like crazy, and next year, everyone will be talking about Decatur’s connection to them in the same breath as those others. I’ve been proud of every act that we’ve brought to Agnes Scott under the Eddie and Agnes banner, but these guys are something very special.

What do they sound like? Alison Krauss, Hem, The Cowboy Junkies, maybe even a little Nick Drake at times. But, at heart, they are a duet, and it is the shimmering interplay between Williams and White that defines them, and it is something absolutely unique.

And no, that isn’t Johnny Depp lip syncing in the video.

The Civil Wars will play Agnes Scott’s Presser Hall on October 9, tickets on sale today.

For more,

Civil Wars website

NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert

Live at Eddie’s Attic free download

KCRW review

Yes, you can download Barton Hollow from iTunes, but I’m not going to link to it. Instead, go buy a copy from Decatur CD. It’ll sound better.

P.S.–We’ve got another great act lined up for October, for Eddie and Agnes, just need to work out ticket sales. Stay tuned…

The Historian For Hire blog has put up a nice short history of the Parkwood neighborhood, which sits partially in unincorporated DeKalb and partially inside the Decatur city limits.  Learn about its Druid Hills roots (similar to Ponce de Leon Heights), its acquisition by Emory University, the evolution of the neighborhood’s housing stock, and the development of the Parkwood Community.

Great stuff!  We look forward to H4H’s next post on the neighborhood, entitled “Preserving Parkwood”!

(1948 plat map courtesy of Historian for Hire)

Hilldale @ Derrydown in Winnona Park, Decatur GA (pic submitted by Dennis)

At the last Decatur city commission meeting, City Manager Peggy Merriss quipped that unlike in year’s past, this year’s Fourth of July celebration would take place on the actual holiday.  So keep that in mind before you stake out a spot on First Christian’s lawn on Saturday night, only to find the only entertainment is watching drivers get exasperated over the painfully long light at Nelson Ferry/Northern and Ponce.

From the city’s Visit Decatur website…

Join Decatur’s July 4th Pied Piper Parade as it winds through downtown Decatur. Decorate your wagon, ride your bike, skate, or walk in this event.

The City Commissioners will lead the parade in the mini-firetruck. Neighborhoods and organizations are encouraged to make floats and join the fun.

Parade line-up is at the First Baptist Church of Decatur at 5:30 p.m. The parade begins at 6 p.m. It ends at the Community Bandstand on the square with a presentation of colors and the Star Spangled Banner.

Anyone may participate in the parade but those with vehicles must register by completing the July 4th Pied Piper Parade Guidelines form.

The concert, featuring the Callanwolde Concert Band, begins at 7 p.m. in the Community Bandstand. Fireworks begin at dark (approximately 9 p.m.) and are shot from the top of the DeKalb County parking deck.

Avondale’s July 4th plans – which includes fireworks at dusk over the lake – are detailed over on the city’s website.

After the jump, check out the details of this year’s July 4th weekend Sidewalk Sale all around the city.

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