Wall of Building Once Home to Edgewood Avenue Bar the Sound Table Partially Collapses

The building once home to Edgewood Avenue cocktail bar the Sound Table sustained serious structural damage on Tuesday afternoon likely caused by construction taking place on adjacent lots. Just 24 hours later, the wall facing Boulevard partially collapsed.

Longtime Sound Table patrons Greg Johnson and Noelle Taylor purchased the space earlier in the year and were set to open their new bar and restaurant Edgewood Dynasty this week. Johnson and Taylor also own dessert and game bar Cake, A Social Bar located beside Edgewood Dynasty, and had planned to open a health and wellness center on the second floor. The couple say they will rebuild.

It’s unclear if the early 20th century structure can be salvaged, and when or if businesses residing within other spaces in the building, like Sister Louisa’s Church Annex and Old 4th Distillery, can or will reopen. Atlanta Fire Rescue evacuated the building Tuesday as a precaution, forcing businesses already reeling from the pandemic to close until further notice.

Excavation recently began in the parking lot and the lot behind the Old Fourth Ward building to construct a four-story mixed-use complex, which should include the future flagship location for boutique streetwear and lifestyle brand A Ma Maniére and its restaurant and lounge EATS.

AFR arrived on the scene around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday to assess the stability of the building at the corner of Edgewood and Boulevard. A large crack originating from the front of the building can be seen separating a portion of the wall from the side of the building.

Photos taken Tuesday by Grant Henry, owner of neighboring bar Sister Louisa’s Church of the Living Room and Ping Pong Emporium and private events space Sister Louisa’s Church Annex just three doors down from Edgewood Dynasty, show crumbled portions of the foundation along the side of the building, several cracks throughout the wall, and a section of the wall partially separated from the rest of the structure.

Grant Henry

Grant Henry

Grant Henry

Tuesday, December 1

“It’s a comedy of errors. Two huge construction projects nearby and the right hand didn’t know what the left hand was doing, and the Sound Table building ended up getting excavated next to it, a little too deep and wide, and then next thing you know it was cracked. That was yesterday. Today it fell,” Henry tells Eater.

AFR has yet to determine an official cause for the damage, but some speculate recent construction and digging on the adjacent lots for the new development next door are to blame.

Grant Henry

The Sound Table closed in mid-October after a decade on the corner of Boulevard and Edgewood Avenue. Considered one of Atlanta’s original cocktail bars, the Sound Table had featured some of the city’s best bartenders behind the stick, including Navarro Carr and Ticonderoga Club’s Paul Calvert. Beyond its innovative cocktails and DJs spinning house and techno music nightly, the bar also became known for its creative food menu and hosting an array of Atlanta pop-ups, supper clubs, and chefs

Founded by Darren Carr, Jeff Myers, and partners DJ Karl Injex and Muona Essa, the Sound Table brand plans to continue to produce its seminal food, drink, and music events and experiences at locations throughout Atlanta.

Update, Dec 2, 3:30 p.m.: This story was updated to include new information and photos of the partial wall collapse.

Update, Dec 2, 8:15 p.m.: This story was updated to include new photos of the partial wall collapse and comment from Sister Louisa’s Church owner Grant Henry.

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