The Atlanta Stockade, the Gothic former city prison in Grant Park, is up for sale

And its future under a new owner is uncertain

The Atlanta Stockade, a fortress of a building in Grant Park that served as the city’s prison in the late 1800s and early 1900s, is on the market. And the future of the property located a short walk from the Atlanta Beltline and next to developer Jeff Fuqua’s newest retail center is uncertain.
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? Owner FCS Ministries, a nonprofit that helps impoverished neighborhoods by addressing critical social issues, has listed its current home. The property includes three historic buildings: Glencastle, a now vacant building that includes part of the former prison, The Stables, and The Blacksmith Shop.
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???? The property’s history stretches back to the 1890s, according to the Atlanta Urban Design Commission, when city leaders decided Atlanta needed a new hoosegow. Originally purchased by the city as a cemetery, the land was the site of a “pest house,” or hospital for people with communicable diseases, before becoming a jail to lock up people for mostly petty offenses.
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?The circa 1896 facility housed men, women, and children inmates for an average stay of around 15 to 20 days and included a rock quarry. An on-site prison farm grew “onions, potatoes, corn, peas, turnips, cabbage, pork, and fodder.”
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? After the building was deemed a “disgrace” in the early 1900s, the city erected a four-story Gothic building on the cheap because — ta da! — inmates helped construct it. The building was modeled after the nearby majestic federal penitentiary and, according to the design commission, is said to be the first in Atlanta to be built from concrete. 
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?Expansions  and additions followed as the inmate population swelled, according to the city’s exhaustive write-up. In 1922, the prison was relocated and the building transferred to the Board of Education.The board used the property for a variety of purposes over the decades before ultimately selling it to new owners, according to the city’s history. The land was then donated to FCS in the early 1980s.
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? The property’s marketing materials say the nonprofit doesn’t have a sale price in mind. It’s asking bidders to submit their offers by October 30. But one section of the document has some preservationists biting their nails:
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??? It is unknown at this time whether or not any or all of the structures can be demolished. These buildings are not under a “Landmark” designation which would prevent demolition. Potential buyers should consult with their advisors and city officials to make their own determination of what can be done with the improvements.??
? We’ve reached out to FCS for more information and will update when we hear word.
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