Ponce City Market: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of Atlanta’s Largest Building

Staff Report From Metro Atlanta CEO

Friday, May 18th, 2018

Ponce City Market, the vibrant community hub located in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward district, is the subject of Ponce City Market: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of Atlanta’s Largest Building, a new book detailing the structure’s rich history and national significance.

Published by Schiffer Publishing, the book features photographs by Blake Burton, an Atlanta-based photographer and architect for Square Feet Studio. The photographic study also includes a foreword by Professor Robert M. Craig of Georgia Tech’s School of Architecture and history by Sears historian Jerry Hancock. In celebration of the book’s launch, Ponce City Market is hosting a book signing and photo exhibit with Burton on Wednesday, June 13th from 6:30-8:30 p.m, in the gallery space near The Mercury on Ponce City Market’s second floor. During the event, he will share more on capturing the building’s many stages of reconstruction and evolution into an iconic Atlanta destination, with copies of the new book available for purchase alongside large-scale photographs. The event is free to attend and open to the public, with no reservations required.

Ponce City Market delves into the powerful impact the building has had on Atlanta’s growing economy and evolution, assuming the roles of expansive Sears, Roebuck, & Co. retail and catalog distribution center, as the site of Atlanta’s City Hall East, and now as the historic adaptive reuse project featuring some of the South’s most sought-after retail, office space, residential lofts, restaurants, and more. Chronicling the building from 2010 to 2016, Burton's photographs record a visual history and provide a raw look into how the structure was preserved, both in architecture and spirit. The book also presents community voices from local residents and former Sears employees, illustrating the unique experiences and stories of the surrounding neighborhood throughout the building’s transitional phases.

Ponce City Market: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of Atlanta’s Largest Building is now available for purchase at Posman Books at Ponce City Market and will be available online starting in June.