8/18/05 ~ Castleberry Hill district making a name for itself

Castleberry Hill, a warehouse district in downtown Atlanta, is the city's latest neighborhood to try to brand itself as a community by adorning its streets with flags.

The banners are emblazoned with the neighborhood's name and four words that residents hope will grab the attention of pass-through traffic: lofts, arts, shops, eats.

"We're trying to brand our neighborhood so people don't think they're in an old abandoned warehouse district," said Tami Donnelly, president of the Castleberry Hill Neighborhood Association.

The area is becoming the hub of metro Atlanta's contemporary art scene as artists and gallery owners discover the old buildings. They are the largest remaining set of structures from Atlanta's early days as a railroad town. Their salvation may have been their location --- south of the central business district, which was torn down and rebuilt as the business community prospered.

A residential loft district began emerging in Castleberry Hill in the early 1980s. Some of the old warehouses were converted into spacious living areas. But to commuters cutting though the district to avoid traffic on the Downtown Connector, the community retained its gritty, industrial feel.

"So many people use this area as their entrance and exit to the city, and they see it as a warehouse district," Donnelly said. "But now we have stores and galleries and restaurants. And people are living here. We want them to know this is a place where they can stop and eat and look in a gallery."

The neighborhood association has asked the city for permission to install the banners permanently. The City Council is considering that request, which would require amending the city code. A vote is expected before mid-October, when the neighborhood opens its doors for an annual tour of homes.

The banner project would join two other recent efforts to increase the sense of community in Castleberry Hill. Residents already have installed street toppers, those little labels on top of street signs that have become all the rage in Atlanta when urban pioneers reclaim a decayed district and make it their home. Castleberry Hill also has a piece of art at the gateway to the community, a rustic-looking piece of metal and an old railroad gear.

"The street sign toppers are nice, but the banners are so much more obvious," Donnelly said. "People really don't know we're here.

"Last year, when we went to the CNN Center to hand out fliers advertising our loft tour, even the people who work there said they didn't know where Castleberry Hill is. I told them --- "Look out the window and see those warehouses? That's Castleberry Hill."

The branding campaign is being paid for with proceeds of the annual tour of loft homes. Last year's tour netted about $11,000, Donnelly said, and that will just about cover the cost of having the banners made and part of the installation costs. Proceeds from this year's tour will finish the job, she said.

Two developers who have completed about a dozen projects in the area over the past two decades say they are amazed at the neighborhood's revitalization. Jerrold Miller and Bruce Gallman are planning another project in Castleberry Hill, this one with 42 units.

Gallman developed Castleberry Square in 1983, the first loft development in downtown Atlanta. In 1985, he helped get the Castleberry Hill Historic District listed on the National Register.

"Castleberry Hill has one of the strongest civic associations in the city, and they're building a real community," Gallman said. "That's one of the great things about the development our company does --- preserving historic buildings in urban areas that help the areas come back around."

Castleberry Hill's loft tour is set for Oct. 15 and 16. For information, see www.castleberryhill.org.