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Atlanta Spring and Bed Company--Block
Candy Company
Courtesy of Winter Properties
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Built circa 1900, the Atlanta Spring and Bed Company--Block Candy
Company is located in the industrial section northwest of downtown
Atlanta. Representing early 20th-century industrial activity in
the city, the building was constructed for William R. Ware, an Atlanta
furniture manufacturer. The Atlanta Spring and Bed Company was the
original occupant of the space from 1900 until 1909. After housing
several businesses, the building was then occupied from 1928 until
1936 by the Block Candy Company, Atlanta's first confectionery manufacturer,
started by the post-Civil War entrepreneur, Frank E. Block.
Four story building with brick
elevator tower
National Register photograph by Yen Tang |
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The four-story building is a significant example of the utilitarian
industrial design used for large manufacturing facilities at the
turn of the 20th century. Functional in design, the building features
heavy timber post-and-beam construction and masonry load bearing
walls with first floor granite walls and upper floor brick walls.
Exterior features include segmental arched windows, recessed window
bays, brick belt course, and a brick elevator tower. The interior
includes the original fire doors, exposed mechanical systems with
a historic sprinkler system and exposed wood posts and beams. On
the first level, there are brick and granite walls and posts resting
on brick piers capped with granite slabs. The second level or main
floor has tongue-and-groove floors, brick walls, wood ceilings,
and arched window and door openings. The upper levels feature the
same elements, except for concrete floors. This building was once
part of an industrial complex that included the Atlanta Buggy Company
and Ware Hatcher Brothers Furniture Company buildings, as well as
others that have been demolished. The industrial building was recently
renovated as office space, retaining the exposed brick walls and
timbers.
The Atlanta Spring and Bed Company--Block Candy Company, 512
Means St., is used as office space. It is not open to the public,
but the lobby serves as an art gallery displaying the work of local
artists.
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