Partial collapse of Atlanta building forces businesses to close

ATLANTA - Several businesses in the Edgewood neighborhood remain closed after a building partially collapsed last week.

It happened on Edgewood Avenue impacting the building that used to the house The Sound Table.

The owners of the building were just getting ready to open a new business called Edgewood Dynasty.

"It's just really sad. I'm devastated," said Noelle Taylor.

The large crack appeared on the side of the building last week. Gregory Johnson and his wife, Noelle Taylor, own the building.

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"The owners were prepared to sell and retire, and they offered us the business," said Johnson, "We took them up on the offer."

The couple told FOX 5 they had big plans for the building. The couple was set to open an upscale bar in the building called Edgewood Dynasty.

"We were ready to open on Friday. We also had a business next door, Cake Social Bar, which we had operated as a pop-up bar this summer," Johnson said, "We had a dessert bar. We had upscale dining and also got architectural renderings for a health and wellness center."

Those plans were put to a halt after the large crack was discovered on the side of the building. Atlanta Fire Rescue crews evacuated the building and surrounding businesses as a precaution.

"I got a call Tuesday or early this week. My manager tells me 'Come down here, the building is falling,'" said Johnson, "At first, I couldn't believe him. There were people in the building training. They had just quit their jobs to come join our business."

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The Old Fourth Ward Business Association has set up a GoFundMe in hopes of raising $25,000 for the restaurant, the owners, and employees. Johnson and Taylor said right now it still isn't clear what caused the crack to appear.

"We know that there were two simultaneous construction projects going on, and there were multiple things happening at the same time," said Johnson.

The couple said right now they're focused on helping their employees who are now left without a paycheck.

"We're concerned about our employees and getting them a paycheck because they're out of pay," explained Johnson, "They're out of this job, and they may not be able to go back to the job that they quit."

If you'd like to contribute to the GoFundMe, you can find the link here.

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