Downtown’s Imperial Hotel makeover now complete

• The Commons at the Imperial Hotel

Last week, after more than one year of renovations, the 114-year-old Imperial Hotel on Peachtree Street near Ivan Allen Boulevard opened its doors with a new name and look: The Commons at the Imperial Hotel.

The historic building, which was redeveloped by affordable housing builders Columbia Residential and National Church Residences, now offers 90 units of permanent, sustainable housing to Atlanta’s homeless and disabled residents.

“Permanent supportive housing transforms lives,” NCR President Thomas Slemmer said in a statement. “The result is a positive impact on the community and individuals.”

In recent years, the eight-story hotel has been serving Atlanta’s homeless and people with special needs on the city’s most famous street. From 1911 to 1980, the Imperial originally offered Atlanta visitors a mid-priced hotel. Its lounge was a nightlife hotspot where Little Richard reportedly played.

After it closed, city’s homeless population slowly moved into the building. In 1990, after it was occupied by homeless advocates, Mayor Maynard Jackson agreed to develop the building into single-unit affordable housing. The hotel endured as low-income housing, receiving an extra financial push during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, until its foreclosure 20 years later.

Columbia Residential and NCR purchased the hotel in 2012. With support from City Hall, the Atlanta Housing Authority, and private investors, the affordable housing developers restored the building to its former glory.

The Commons at the Imperial Hotel is based on a “Housing First Model,” which provides affordable housing to residents as the first step to reaching self-sufficiency. The hotel features on-site staff and a wide range of services such as vocational training, fitness centers, and a library with computers as well as a printer. The LEED Gold-certified units have energy efficient kitchens and bathrooms to help keep utility bills reasonable.

“We have made every effort to respect the residents this building will serve and the history of the building to ensure that the residents have a place they are proud to call their home,” Chairman of Columbia Residential Noah Khalil said. AHA Interim President and CEO Joy Fitzgerald and Atlanta City Councilman Kwanzaa Hall were also in attendance, along with other city housing leaders.

Check out some photos of the new digs after the jump:

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• The Commons at the Imperial Hotel

• The Commons at the Imperial Hotel

• The Commons at the Imperial Hotel