In a previous post from March of 2017, I began researching the large, ornate early 20th-century abandoned building on Forsyth Street. Listed as the Upton Hotel on the Atlanta Preservation Center’s website, it appears that the building was never a hotel, to begin with. This would explain the near impossibility of locating any historical documents mentioning an “Upton Hotel,” it’s as if it vanished into thin air. Initially, construction was planned for a hotel in 1905 to take advantage of the newly constructed Terminus train station nearby.
Apparently, these plans never took place and the “hotel” became a rented space for various businesses over the years. Kudos to local historian Kyle Kessler for revealing the truth behind the “Upton Hotel.” Over the years, the building served anywhere from a 1930’s trunk repair shop, 1970’s pet shop, Dunbar & Sewell brokers firm in 1920, to a 1919 Jos Sykes Bros card clothing company. Occupied by renters in the early 2000’s, the building was destroyed by a fire in 2002, leaving only a weakened shell.
Below you will find a series of photos detailing the many changes that occurred over the past 80+ years regarding the abandoned, burned shell of a building on Trinity Avenue, Atlanta, GA.
What caused the developers to change their minds concerning the initial plans for a hotel? Why did the building go through various vacancies and short-lived leased businesses in its 91 years of operation? Perpahs the location did not prove itself to be as fruitful as the developers had hoped.
Atlanta's Past Revisted 