Old Fourth Ward is getting a hotel and social club in a new building called Forth

Out-of-towners eager to experience all the Old Fourth Ward has to offer will soon have a lavish place to stay. Come summer, the historic area is getting a $150 million, 16-floor development featuring a boutique hotel, members-only social club, and four restaurants and bars. Created by New City Properties, Forth is located between the Historic Fourth Ward Park and the BeltLine’s Eastside Trail.

In 2017, New City acquired 11 acres of land from Georgia Power, just south of Ponce City Market. In its first phase of development, it launched a 480,000-square-foot office building, where MailChimp now resides. When Forth opens in June, it will offer 196 hotel rooms plus 39 fully furnished, extended-stay apartments, ideal for both business and leisure travelers.

Jim Irwin, president of New City, started working in the area 15 years ago, developing Ponce City Market for Jamestown in the shuttered City Hall building. Nearby, industrial space sat empty, nearly abandoned. Irwin went on to develop 725 Ponce, home to BeltLine Kroger, and believes Forth will add the finishing touch to the neighborhood.

“It’s the bow on the composition, the key missing piece,” he says. “Our mission is to create a place people love coming to—whether it’s to work, live, eat, or shop. This will be a place for people to spend the night and a third place where everyone can come together like [London-based social club] Soho House.”

“To watch the total resurgence of the neighborhood and the cataleptic power of the BeltLine to gather people and give them a new way to experience Atlanta is a point of pride,” he continues. “The challenge is to create things from nothing. This building and journey are about reimagining the hospitality experience.”

Courtesy of Method Co.

Courtesy of Method Co.

The look
Designed by New York-based Morris Adjmi Architects, in collaboration with Method Co. in Philadelphia, Forth hotel will have floor-to-ceiling windows and skyline views. Interior inspiration draws from contemporary European design and early Americana traditions (think vintage pieces and handmade wooden furniture). The feel of the apartments will be similar with the addition of kitchenettes, full-size appliances (including a washer and dryer!), oak floors, and separate living and sleeping areas. The building’s concrete exterior with a diamond-patterned tower will provide a stately contrast to the warmth inside.

Courtesy of Method Co.

Courtesy of Method Co.

The amenities
Forth will feature a fitness center with workout classes, a luxury spa, and a 2,300-square-foot pool deck with lounge seating and cabanas. These facilities will be available to both hotel guests and social club members. Co-working and event spaces will also be available. The social club details are still in the works, but Irwin says the team is modeling it after aspects of the Ned in London, the Bay Club in San Francisco, and Fitler in Philadelphia.

Likewise, information on the restaurants is scarce. Method Co., the hospitality company behind the Pinch hotel in Charleston and Kamper’s Rooftop Lounge in Detroit, will be developing and overseeing the concepts. On the ground floor will be a modern Italian steakhouse, on the roof, a cocktail lounge. A Mediterranean restaurant and bar will live poolside. In the building lobby, a private cafe and bar will open only to social club members. Additional details should be available in the next couple of months.

Although Irwin hopes most people will walk to Forth, almost 2,000 parking spots—with both valet and self-park options—will be available under the building.

Courtesy of Method Co.

Addressing neighborhood concerns
BeltLine-area developers have long been criticized for pricing residents out of their neighborhoods. In response, Irwin says the company set aside 10 percent of adjacent apartment building the Overline as “affordable” multifamily units.

Similarly, with new developments, there’s always worry about preserving historic structures and maintaining the look and feel of an area. New City worked with the Old Fourth Ward Business Association and Fourth Ward Alliance to squelch concerns.

“We’re all about preserving historic structures. This land was 12 acres of surface parking that was a fortress of barbed wire. We didn’t tear anything down,” Irwin explains. “It’s making something from nothing. We’re focused on making this place by Atlanta for all of Atlanta.”

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