There’s truly something for everyone at Pullman Yards, and I mean that to the utmost literal degree.
I got the chance to tour the 27-acre grounds with the Director of Events and my longtime friend, Kristin Nakama, who is spearheading many different operations at Pullman Yards. As SweetWater 420 Fest approaches and prepares its debut at the new location, immersing in the calm before the storm allowed me a first-hand look at just how much work has gone into Pullman Yards in the past few years and how it has successfully made its way as a standout, multi-use creative facility.
Having already hosted over 2 million guests since its opening in 2021, Pullman Yards is only expanding that number by the day. The interchangeable and rotatable pieces that make up the development is that of an adult sized theme park from a fever dream — fanciful, creative and promising that no two visits will ever be the same.
Standing tall on the edges of Kirkwood and Edgewood, Pullman Yards holds a truly unique and rich history. Originally built in 1904 by Pratt Engineering, it served as a location for fertilizer bomb production in WWI. Afterwards, it was used to create and patent carbonated gasses which was purchased by The Coca Cola Company while it was still a start-up.
In 1926, The Pullman Company, a renowned and luxurious cross-country railway travel business, purchased the site and used it to repair passenger and cargo cars, giving it its name. The Pullman Company was one of the largest employers of African-American men during segregation, known as the Pullman Porters. They formed the nation’s first African American labor union founded with the American Federation of Labor, Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and Maids, which aimed to improve the treatment and working conditions of African American porters and maids employed across the nation by The Pullman Company.
With the invention of cars, transportation by railway fizzled out, and the site was abandoned. Street artists took a liking to the large brick walls splayed throughout the property, as did film producers who saw the potential of such a large, free-standing space. Atomic Entertainment then purchased the site in 2017 and redeveloped the site as an “entertainment district of the south” which became the filming focal point for movies like Hunger Games, Bad Boys 3, Baby Driver and Fast and Furious.
Today, Pullman Yards offers a wide variety for every palette, with three on-site restaurants, festivals, galleries, and other rotating exhibits. In 2021, Pullman Yards opened its doors to the Van Gogh immersive experience, which was a catalyst for more restoration and bigger dreams. The current exhibition, Balloon Museum which offers an immersive experience of out-of scale balloon installations paired with light and sound, cycles thousands of patrons per weekend as each time slot sells out in minutes.
With a total of 9 venues ranging from 5,250 to 38,000 square feet, the possibilities are flexible and endlessly exciting. Pullman Yards is looking forward to hosting Sweetwater 420 Fest as it settles into its new home in the Kirkwood neighborhood after a 10-year run in Centennial Park. “As the buildings have been restored, the ability to host different sizes and types of events has grown, which brings us to today with Sweetwater 420 Fest,” Nakama added. “Our hope is that the neighborhood is proud to welcome the festival in like we are and that we can continue something that has always been super-iconic to Atlanta.”
And the diversity in events doesn’t stop there. Pullman Yards has hosted both President Biden and President Obama. “That’s the fun thing about this place, is in the same week, we had ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ filming their finale here, and people were out front rollerskating and playing pickleball while the President was speaking in another building,” Nakama said with a laugh.
Festivals and crowds not your thing? Stop into Dailies and Sides, inspired by all of the film and television produced at Pullman Yards, which offers an American casual menu, movie-themed cocktails and complimentary popcorn. You can also indulge in a dozen oysters at Fishmonger or try modern Filipino food at Zarate Kitchen.
Additionally, every Saturday, Pullman Yards hosts the Chef’s Market. The farmers market-meets-bustling bazaar concept includes a wide array of cultures and ready-to-eat cuisines, while focusing on highlighting small businesses, local artisans, seasonal produce and art. On every 4th Friday, a pop up Asian Chef’s market takes over featuring Asian-American Pacific Islander food vendors, artists and organizations to highlight the local Asian community and cuisine.
After you’ve acquired a full belly, mosey on over to AlcoHall. Upon entry, all I could think of was a scaled-down version of Disney’s Epcot’s “drink around the world,” (if you know, you know). Imagine a 17,000 square-foot food hall, but drinks instead of food. The previously abandoned, historic warehouse showcases seven stalls, each designed around the unique wine/beer/spirit it hosts. If that’s not tempting enough, maybe the mechanical bull in the center of the building will be.
“Because Pullman Yards has such a rich and unique history, it is so important that we have stayed true to preserving that,” Nakama explained. “It could have been very easy to make this another retail epicenter, but that’s not what it was intended to be. When people ask who we compete with, the answer is everyone and no one at the same time because there are elements that are only possible at a development like this.”
Whether you’re just in the neighborhood and want to grab a bite, or attending SweetWater 420 fest or the Balloon Museum, you can make a whole day out of all of the amenities that Pullman Yards has to offer.
This article ignores the nuisance behavior coming from this property. Why didn’t the author bother to interview anyone from the community?
The place will remain incomplete and a neighborhood sore until they get indoor plumbing and a parking deck
Too bad that poor site planning, limited parking in a residential area, and lack of tie-ins to public transit make events here a traffic nightmare! (For those attending as well as people who have lived in the neighborhood for years before this venue arrived.) Gosh, if only someone could have foreseen the impact of thousands of people trying to use a single narrow street for access to this location.
It’s so great to have a venue like this in Atlanta. However, it feels like essential infrastructure was neglected in building it out. Minor things, like having a shuttle from MARTA, would make it so it isn’t such a drain on the neighborhood. The street it’s on is not sufficient for the amount of traffic and lack of parking on site. And my understanding is that 420 Fest will have no bike racks? I looked up the cost and they’re only $15 to rent. Seriously – minor changes would help the community welcome Pullman Yards instead of resenting it.
This is an interesting take. Last I checked, there is no proper permitting for many events, the food at Dailies and Sides is barely edible and so overpriced, there is no plumbing for any of those over two million guests. The lack of planning for parking, inability to follow noise ordinances, and gross lack of communication with the neighborhood makes it a nuisance for the neighborhood. I will not give this place a dime of my money, and I recommend other patrons to do research before driving from anywhere to come here. Your county fair is a much better organized event to attend.
So this piece was a cut and paste from a press release. The property is current fashioned to be nothing more that a State Fair every month- without restroom facilities, adequate parking, or any thought to traffic.
If you would like to get involved in the community engagement to improve this property please see: https://www.facebook.com/groups/787673469554323
Maria, considering your EXTENSIVE hard-hitting journalism background, I was dismayed to see what is essentially a puff-piece for a property that has become somewhat of a nightmare for local residents. To be clear: Pullman Yards is not a good neighbor to Kirkwood, Edgewood, Lake Claire and Candler Park with constant gridlock traffic and parking issues, continuing noise complaints, and the owner’s loose interpretation of zoning, permitting and other city ordinances that are in keeping with the property’s Historic Landmark District designation. The owners have stopped even attempting to pay lip service to the concerns of the surrounding community and, in true ringmaster style- only point to the next spectacle in the circus this property has become.
If you would like to get involved in the community engagement to improve this property please see: https://www.facebook.com/groups/787673469554323
Kudos for successful adaptive reuse of the iconic campus. However, with few access points across the CSX railroad between Atlanta and Decatur, when the Pullman Yard is hopping, Arizona Avenue and Rogers Street become an inaccessible, 2-lane boondoggle for residents of Kirkwood and surrounding neighborhoods. If ever there were a need for emergency vehicles to get through during peak traffic, let alone to the popular Pullman, those headlines might not look quite as puffy as for this piece.
This article is bizarre and grossly inaccurate. There is no permanent infrastructure such as air conditioning, sewage, or parking decks available to guests. The large majority of the buildings are vacant and the occupied buildings are nothing more than a carousel of poorly planned temporary exhibits. To say that the entire development is mismanaged would be grossly understating the problem. Save your time and go to The Works or Krog Street Market if you want to visit a true mixed-use development properly while also getting the “luxury” of running water and paved parking.
Dang, did Pullman Yard write this themselves?! The highlight for me is taking a long walk from the trail to Pullman Yard and passing the long line of literal standstill traffic. This development is the definition of a bad neighbor and hopefully it will be resolved. The potential is still there, but a lot of work needs to be done. I dread how the 420 Fest is going to impact the neighborhood.
Wow. Did y’all just copy and paste a press release? Clearly nobody from the surrounding neighborhood was interviewed for this fluff. I live almost 2 miles away from the venue and my house was vibrating in the Fall with one of their music events for two days. When I called Council Member Bakhtiari’s office, her admin was oblivious, and in spite of the fact that he confirmed he had been receiving calls “all day”, he hadn’t bothered to investigate permits etc. Instead he directed me to call the Mayor’s office because he (clearly) doesn’t live in the neighborhood otherwise he wouldn’t be so lax about enforcing every by-law this facility violates most weekends. Do your due diligence when you post a story like this or don’t bother to call this site “report”.
Not a single word about the extreme nuisance and honestly the life safety hazard created by the Pullman yard in the Kirkwood neighborhood every single weekend. We can’t get to our homes we can’t get mail delivery. We can’t have visitors and ambulances cannot get through the streets. This is not a pleasant addition to entertainment in Atlanta. It is a mega pain in everyone’s ass solely for the purpose of one dude making a shit ton of money.
Thanks for this post!