Just before the Olympics, bold entrepreneurs and a handful of artists began converting abandoned warehouses there into livable spaces. The district still is affordable. While the loft craze is astounding, the tsunami of rejuvenation is sweeping over old-fashioned residential neighborhoods. In the '80s it was Grant Park, Virginia-Highland and Candler Park. In the '90s it was East Atlanta and Oakhurst.
More neighborhoods are now on the edge of truly dramatic transformations.
One neighborhood in particular is setting the pace for urban redevelopment. The Old Fourth Ward , which includes Auburn Avenue and the MLK Jr. National Historic Site, has benefited from startling foresight, leadership, cooperation and energy. Mtamanika Younglood's Historic District Development Corp. has shepherded a series of projects, most notably the construction of Victorian-style homes, the renovation of old homes and the creation of Studioplex, a converted warehouse packed with galleries and artists' lofts. But it's more. The best thing about the district is that it offers Atlanta its best hope for a future.