The Southern Railway, which would someday become the BeltLine Eastside Trail, was constructed.
725 Ponce is situated within Eastside Atlanta’s vibrant history. Adjacent to the Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant, built in the early 1900s, this land has been in the National Register of Historic Places since 1984. Doors open to a new generation who want to reconnect with the past while reimagining and redefining the future of Atlanta.
725 Ponce and The Ford Factory building share a rich past, with deep roots in railway history.
The Southern Railway, which would someday become the BeltLine Eastside Trail, was constructed.
On May 9, 1914 the Ford Motor Company submitted a request for a building permit to construct an assembly plant on Ponce de Leon Avenue next to the Southern Railway line. The building still stands as the Ford Factory Lofts, while the railway line is now the Eastside Trail of the Atlanta BeltLine.
Ford Factory opens. The 4-story, 150,000 square feet building was designed by Ford’s in-house architect, John Graham. Ford established a combined assembly, sales, service and administration facility on Ponce de Leon Avenue, selling a peak of 22,000 vehicles per year. The assembly plant produced Model T’s, Model A’s and V-8’s.
30,000 people came to the opening of the Sears, Roebuck & Co. 900,000 square foot catalog distribution center & retail store.
While the Southern Railway served both Sears catalog distribution and the Ford factory, Ponce de Leon Avenue was bustling with electric trolleys serving the Sears retail store, the Atlanta Crackers ballfield and all the new surrounding neighborhood housing.
Previously controlled by the US Government, the Ford plant was sold to the War Department in 1942. It was taken over by the US Army Department of Defense and used as a recruiting and storage facility until the late 1960’s.
Sold for development in 1979, the building is now known as Ford Factory Lofts and is occupied by apartments and retail shops. Architects for the adaptive reuse project were Bradfield Associates.
Kroger opens at 725 Ponce de Leon Avenue. The store, one of the oldest in metro Atlanta, features a modified “greenhouse” design format and its original four-sided cube signage on Ponce.
From the 1990’s, until at least 2002, the store had drivers license renewal services. In 2002 the store tested scan-it-yourself checkout devices. After two neighboring supermarkets opened nearby, the store underwent renovation in 2002.
The BeltLine Eastside Trail opens. The neighborhoods around the Ford Factory Lofts and Kroger experience a revitalization.
Ponce City Market opens. Located along the BeltLine trail, the largest historic, adaptive reuse project in the nation opens its doors to the community with carefully curated shops and restaurants below offices and apartments.
In response to the success of the BeltLine Eastside Trail and Ponce City Market, over 2,500 new apartments have opened within 3-miles, with more under development to serve the growing population. Nearby, dynamic mixed-use projects such as Krog Street Market, Clermont Hotel, Excelsior Mill redevelopment and the BeltLine Hotel are under construction or open.
725 Ponce opens. This transformative $140 Million mixed-use renovation includes a 60,000 square foot Kroger below 360,000 square feet of BeltLine-Connected Class A loft office space.
