Sunday, November 6, 2011

The Tallest Blight in Town

On the very boundary of Downtown, looming over the Grady Curve, is a once-beautiful structure named the Medical Arts Building. Vacant for 16 years, it is marred with graffiti, missing several windows, and was at one point used as a gigantic billboard. A business owned by music producer Dallas Austin (who is inexplicably not from Texas) offered to convert the building into a hotel in 2003, but reneged five months later. Even on this relatively neglected side of Atlanta's urban center, it is notable for its horrific appearance.

It is currently owned by Anosh Ishak, Ephraim Spielman, and Daniel and Kamy Deljou, who were actually brought to court by the city on 19 September. Although they purchased the building for $5.25 million, they want no less than $11 million for it. Mr. Ishak has been in trouble before, by the way.

It would at least make sense for the building's price to be reduced, but in the absence of any market demand for this monstrosity of blight, it is well past time for it to come down. Its owners have paid for asbestos treatment for the building's interior, and thus have run out of reasonable excuses to not demolish it. The refusal of these four to permanently solve this problem, until they are paid very handsomely, is a flippant insult to all of Atlanta.

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