News Briefs: Building demolition halted again; tree protection ordinance; MARTA marks 40th birthday

Demolition on a former recording studio space on Nassau Street in Downtown has been halted again after a judge issued a stop-work order until a hearing can be held on Oct. 31 at 3 p.m. at Fulton County Superior Court. Downtown resident and preservation advocate Kyle Kessler took the legal action to stop the demolition of 152 Nassau Street and 141 Walton Street, both of which were designated as landmark buildings by the city’s own Urban Design Commission in 2017. The building on Nassau Street across from The Tabernacle, which has already been partially demolished, was once a recording studio where the first country song hit was recorded. The Walton Street building was a film exchange, where local cinema owners could rent films for showing in their theaters. The site is slated to become a Margaritaville-branded hotel.
Public hearings will be held on Nov. 6-7 on updating the city’s treen protection ordinance. The hearings will be held Nov 6 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Atlanta Technical College, Dennard Conference Center, 1560 Metropolitan Parkway and Nov. 7 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 3003 Howell Mill Road NW.
In 1979, MARTA’s first train ran from Avondale Station to Georgia State Station. In celebration of 40 years of combined rail and bus service, MARTA is hosting two events on Nov. 3 – a special guest reception at Georgia State Station and a festival and public concert featuring local bands Yacht Rock Schooners and The Mar-Tans at MARTA’s Avondale Administration Building, 2775 E. Ponce de Leon Ave. Following the reception, MARTA’s General Manager/CEO Jeffrey Parker will take a group of local officials on a commemorative train ride from Georgia State to Avondale (the reverse of the first ride), where they will shuttle to the festival and concert. The celebration features food trucks, photo opportunities, ping pong, a kids’ zone and mural painting, as well as a DJ, vendor tables and MARTA-themed gifts. The reception at Georgia State will begin at 2 p.m. and the festival/concert at 2:30 p.m. Find out more at itsmarta.com/festival.aspx.