A HISTORIC PRESERVATION

Positioned at the iconic intersection of Virginia and North Highland Avenues, this charming spot is where you meet neighbors, bring the kids out for a slice, and enjoy a cup of coffee with good conversation. It is the corner and a cornerstone of the Virginia-Highland community. At that corner stands The VA-HI Building, a staple in the community and a historic preservation project we’re quite proud of.

While the eponymous intersection gives the neighborhood its name, it’s families who have always led the way for this intown gem. Steps away from the intersection to the east, you’ll find the first home built for the Virginia-Highlands subdivision, in 1923, by the Padgett family, one of several prominent families who developed the area. The VA-HI Building was constructed by Frank T. Pike in 1925 to serve the growing community, bringing with it heart, soul, and provisions to the neighborhood.

However, after almost 100 years of retail, restaurant, and commercial use it was certainly time for a refresh. 2020 saw vacancies, exposing decades of wear and tear, and providing an opportunity for the next chapter. A Historic Tax Credit project on behalf of owner Highland Real Estate, and led by GK|CRE cultural developer and civic leader Ted Bradford, the historic rehabilitation was completed in 2021, and the property thrives once again. Today’s stars? Kinship, Pielands, and Paolo’s Gelato!

The preservation demonstrates what’s possible and introduces new businesses providing easy-going classics – pizza, gelato, coffee, a butchery with sundries – helping to reestablish its prominent role as a community staple. A mural created by the design team – Proper and The Loss Prevention – on the western wall says it all, “Welcome to the Neighborhood.”

To get the job done, Bradford enlisted an award-winning team of designers and architects — Cognitive Design, Archie Bolden, Proper, The Loss Prevention, Family Brothers — to preserve, update, and elevate the mission of the building, with a collective goal to give The VA-HI Building a renewed voice and have it harmonize with the neighborhood as it celebrates its past and heads into the future.

“All rehabilitations are a conversation with the past, and this one was mostly a listening exercise,” says Matt Finn, the founder and architect of Cognitive Design. “Atlanta needs cultural preservation like this because it memorializes community and helps us feel at home.”

Located in the heart of Virginia-Highland National Register Historic District and surrounded by highly intact historic fabric from the early 20th century, the property is on the former Nine-Mile Circle (Nine-Mile Trolley line). The building is a masonry commercial block with two distinct styles. The three western bays feature Craftsman detailing with wood framed plate glass windows and a terracotta tile hip roof supported by ornamental brackets. The single eastern bay features a parapet roof-line and a glazed terracotta cartouche.

Rehabilitation of the VA-HI Building was planned and performed with great sensitivity to the historic nature of the structure by Gene Kansas | Commercial Real Estate and Cognitive Design. The masonry façade was gently cleaned, repaired, and painted white with deep blue trim and accents. The existing storefront windows were retained, and solid hardwood doors replaced non-historic composite doors that were damaged beyond repair. The original sprinkler system, complete with its original cast iron bell, has been serviced and will continue to provide fire protection for the building.

The three western bays were rehabilitated to uncover more of the historic elements found inside. A non-historic opening between two walls was closed to create a solid wall. The original terrazzo flooring in the fourth bay was retained. Non-historic buildout in the rear of one bay was removed to expose four original rear windows. New restrooms were added in two of the bays. To avoid changing the building’s appearance, an engineering team reinforced the roof by putting engineered lumber beneath and adding kickers.

Additionally, the VA-HI Building was initially constructed with pedestrians in mind, not cars. The preservation team worked diligently with the neighborhood to eliminate challenging, existing parking requirements, allowing for greater walkability, visibility, and storefront charm.

The historic preservation of any building is important because it not only embodies conservation, protection and care for the built environment, but it also shines a light on what’s most important, the people, history and culture surrounding our spaces and places. Hailed as a catalyst for “Virginia-Highland’s culinary comeback” by Atlanta Magazine, The VA-HI Building is of particular importance because of what it is – small yet impactful, aspirational and achievable, inspirational and attainable – and because of where it is, the namesake intersection of one of Atlanta’s most beloved historic neighborhoods and communities.