I started out really young, when I was four, five, six, writing poems, before I could play an instrument. I was writing about things when I was eight or 10 years old that I hadn't lived long enough to experience. That's why I also believe in reincarnation, that we were put here with ideas to pass around.
Willie Nelson
Properties have a shelf life - buildings deteriorate, neighborhoods change, preferences evolve.
But sometimes reincarnation occurs - buildings stay the same but the vibes change. Like with the former Wynne’s Apartment Hotel on Atlanta’s North Highland Avenue.
Built in 1929 as workforce housing for young ladies, local sharpshooters Canvas Companies guided a reincarnation of the building into workforce housing for young creatives, and they’ve done a helluva job.
This time around the building is named Otto’s Apartment Hotel.
It’s a beacon of vibes in the leafy Poncey-Highland neighborhood.
Some of the past life remains in the tiny furnished rooms.
Otto’s is part of a larger reincarnation that includes restaurants, retail and office.
Wynne’s Coffee Shop in the past life will soon be Madeira Park,
a wine bar operated by my friend Steve Satterfield, James Beard Award Winner for Best Chef Southeast.
Along with the wine is Sarah Dodge’s Colette Bakery.
Serving savory galettes, sourdough, and cinnamon rolls bigger than your head.
For those feeling too thin, a few doors down is Sarah O’Briens Big Softie, a soft serve emporium.
The property’s office space is for artists and actors, rather than lawyers and bankers.
Karma is alive and well. The good work done a century ago at Wynne’s Apartment Hotel led to a new life, thanks to spiritual guides in the form of talented local developers.