Fire damages historic Atlanta Eagle and Kodak buildings in Midtown

Caption

A fire heavily damaged the historic Kodak and Atlanta Eagle buildings in Midtown on June 6.

Credit: Dyana Bagby/Rough Draft

Fire heavily damaged the Kodak building and the former site of the LGBTQ bar Atlanta Eagle on Thursday evening. 

Atlanta Fire Rescue officials got a call about 8 p.m. of a fire at the two historic buildings at the intersection of Ponce de Leon and Argonne avenues in Midtown. No one was injured in the fire and an investigation is underway to determine the cause.

The back portion of the buildings — where a historic single-family home once stood — appeared to be a complete loss. The brick facades of the buildings still stand along Ponce but also have fire and smoke damage.

Richard Ramey, owner of The Atlanta Eagle, was at the scene. The Atlanta Eagle’s home at 306 Ponce de Leon Ave. for more than 30 years. The building was designated an Atlanta landmark.

“There’s lots of damage, you know, 35 years of Eagle history going up in flames,” he said at about 9:30 p.m. 

Ramey was forced to close the Atlanta Eagle at 306 Ponce during the COVID-19 pandemic. He reopened the bar in 2022 at 1492 Piedmont Avenue

Caption

Fire engulfs the back portion of the historic Kodak and Atlanta Eagle buildings in Midtown.

Credit: Photo courtesy Midtown Neighbors Association

“I really had in my heart that hopefully one day that we could do something with this historical landmark, but I guess it’s not meant to be because I … don’t think there’s going to be much left over,” Ramey said.

Mayor Andre Dickens visited the scene about 9:30 p.m. He said there was no foul play suspected in the fire, saying that was a concern because June is Pride month.

He said he came to the scene “because there’s a fire at an Atlanta institution.” He also noted the building is a designated historic landmark by the city.

“I know the history of this place, and we want to make sure that it’s preserved,” he said. 

“What we’ve got to do in a city like this is with buildings that are vacant, we got to bring them up to productive use,” Dickens said. 

“Put a museum in there of LGBTQ history or something. So we get into thinking, putting our creative juices to use,” he said.

He said the city would reach out to the property owner to see if a plan can be worked out.

This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with Rough Draft Atlanta.