Hotel Clermont is an adaptive reuse of a historic Atlanta hotel constructed in 1924 as the Bonaventure Arms Apartments. Located along a trolley car line, the apartment building embodied the transition from dense urban city centers towards suburban development made possible by the growing popularity of the automobile.
It was constructed near the newly developed Ford Motor Assembly Plant, built in 1916, and was followed in 1926 by the massive Sears Roebuck Building now known as Ponce City Market. In 1939, the apartment building was converted to a hotel. A 1958 document indicates the hotel had 100 rooms and 33 efficiency and one-bedroom furnished apartments. The building was eventually closed in 2009 after many years of decline.
Hotel Clermont has been renovated and reopened for use as a boutique hotel with 94 guestrooms, a gracious lobby bar and cafe. Amenities include a restaurant to serve hotel patrons and neighborhood residents, as well as a rooftop bar with a stunning view of the surrounding neighborhoods and the Midtown skyline. Although outside the scope of this project, great care was taken to ensure the continuous operation of the Clermont Lounge, a famous Atlanta landmark operated in the basement of the building.
The historic preservation effort included window replacement and the restoration of the exterior brick and historic signage. Extensive interior work included restoration of interior terrazzo, plaster and trim. Structural repairs and rehabilitation of the central grand staircase were required to meet current building codes. Due to these efforts, the building is a candidate for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.
