Sweet Sounds

Former YMCA building to become music venue

Th e Sweet Auburn Ballroom will receive the first grant from Invest Atlanta’s recently established Resurgens Fund in the Eastside TAD (tax allocation district).

Named after the historic Downtown neighborhood, the vacant former Butler Street YMCA building at 17 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive will soon be transformed into a 1,200-person capacity live music venue.

The board was unanimous in its support for the resolution approving the $1 million grant, according to an announcement from Invest Atlanta.

“This is a transformative project for the historic Sweet Auburn neighborhood, and will attract visitors to the area for years to come” said Dawn Luke, Invest Atlanta’s Senior Vice President of Community Development.

Butler Street Community Development Corporation (“BSCDC”) and venue operator Live Nation are partnering on the project. BSCDC has executed a 20-year lease with Live Nation, who will develop and manage the venue. Live Nation also runs The Tabernacle across from Centennial Olympic Park.

The Sweet Auburn Ballroom project is part of a larger multi-phase effort by the BSCDC to revitalize the neighborhood’s Jesse Hill block along the Atlanta Streetcar line.

The Eastside TAD includes Sweet Auburn, the Old Fourth Ward, as well as parts of Grant Park, Cabbagetown and Downtown.