The building was constructed in 1923 to house the M.C. Kiser Company, a shoe manufacturing company founded in Atlanta in the late 1800s. The company, described in a 1920 article of The Atlanta Constitution as “one of the most important business establishments of Atlanta,” had outgrown its previous facilities, and this building was constructed primarily as a factory, warehouse, and retail center for their Shield Brand Shoes line. The company used the building until 1933, and afterwards it was used by various commercial entities.[1]
In March 2016, local developer Gallman Development Group announced plans to convert the building to an apartment building.[2] Gallman, which had previously converted warehouses in Atlanta's Castleberry Hill neighborhood to lofts,[2][3] planned to convert the building to an "industrial chic" living space,[4] and that month secured $8.5 million in funding.[5] Initially, they planned to open in spring 2017.[4] However, construction was prevented from starting until January 2017.[6] A report in July stated that the building would house 36 one-bedroom apartments and five two-bedroom apartments, with a Curbed Atlanta article from July stating that the property could be marketed as student housing due to its proximity to Georgia State University.[7]
The brick building features three stories with a basement. As it was originally built, the bottom floor was used primarily for retail, while the upper two floors were used for warehousing and as a factory. The exterior of the building features minimal ornamentation or design. The structure is an example of "mill" or "slow-burning" architecture, designed for fire prevention.[1]
