Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Beltline aquires defunct Elleven 45 to expand network
Beltline buys defunct Elleven 45 Lounge
The problematic Elleven 45 Lounge, which was closed down earlier this year after a deadly shooting, has now been purchased by the Atlanta Beltline. Here’s how it will be used.
ATLANTA – The Atlanta Beltline has purchased the property of the now shuttered Elleven 45 Lounge in Buckhead and plans to convert it into a portion of the trail.
“We had a young lady lose her life and people got shot at this club that should not have allowed guns into the premises. So, they were bad actors and bad operators,” said Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, describing the violent events at Elleven 45 on Mother’s Day.
When a gunman shot and killed two people and wounded four others.
In August, a Fulton County Superior Court Judge deemed the club a “public nuisance” and shut it down.
Dickens says the city then saw an opportunity.
“We talked to the ownership and said, ‘hey, we want to buy this property so we can complete the beltline trail,’” he said.
It turned out the property sits in an ideal spot for the Northwest Segment 2 of the Beltline trail.
“The Northwest Trail is perhaps the most technically challenging from an engineering and design perspective,” said CEO for Atlanta Beltline Clyde Higgs.
He says acquiring this property has given them a golden opportunity to connect the trail to Peachtree Road and make that portion of the trail much more accessible.
“This last acquisition piece was significant because it’s going to create a better trail experience from an ADA access perspective of getting access to the Shepherd Center to Piedmont Hospital,” Higgs said.
It came at a hefty price tag. Higgs confirms it cost them around $11 million. Much more than the original plan for this section of the trail.
“This was bigger than our original budget. But because we have realized cost savings in other places along the Beltline, we were able to repurpose some of those savings and bring that to an area in order to make sure Buckhead gets a significant investment from the Beltline,” Higgs said.
Mayor Dickens says it’s a two-for-one special the city previously could have only dreamed of.
“We got rid of a nuisance, and we’re improving the city by putting the Beltline through here. So, you’re going to see something amazing come about from this,” Dickens said.
It’s a big step forward for one of Atlanta’s most ambitious projects.
A project that aims to have much of the trail completed in time for the arrival of the world’s biggest sporting event.
“We will have nearly 18 miles of the Beltline completed before the World Cup arrives in Atlanta in 2026,” Higgs said.
He said that will likely not include the portion with the Elleven 45 Lounge property.
He says the Northwest Segment 2 portion will be completed in late 2026 or early 2027.
The Atlanta Dream are undefeated heading into their home opener and still finding ways to improve their roster.
The Dream announced Wednesday the signing of forward Amy Okonkwo to a developmental contract. It’s the latest roster move for an Atlanta team that is 2-0 and gearing up to play Sunday against the defending champion, Las Vegas Aces.
Okonkwo brings an impressive résumé despite her young career.
She most recently attended training camp with the Dallas Wings ahead of the 2026 season and appeared in eight games with Dallas during the 2025 WNBA season, averaging 11.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game while shooting better than 60 percent from the field. She recorded a career-high 20 points against Phoenix on Sept. 11, 2025, and made history as the first undrafted player since 2000 to average 10 or more points while shooting 60 percent or better through her first two WNBA games.
Her international résumé is equally impressive. Okonkwo has earned back-to-back FIBA Women’s AfroBasket MVP honors in 2023 and 2025 while helping Nigeria’s national team capture consecutive gold medals. Collegiately, she played at USC before finishing her career at TCU, where she earned 2018 Big 12 Sixth Player of the Year honors.
Okonkwo joins a 12-player roster that includes Naz Hillmon, Te-Hina Paopao, Jordin Canada, Angel Reese, Aaliyah Nye, Rhyne Howard, Madina Okot, Allisha Gray, Isobel Borlase, Indya Nivar, Sika Kone and Brionna Jones.
The signing caps a busy stretch of roster moves for Atlanta.
Earlier this month, the Dream claimed guard Aaliyah Nye off waivers after she was selected by the expansion Toronto Tempo in the 2026 WNBA Expansion Draft and subsequently waived on May 7. Nye brings championship pedigree to Atlanta, having been a member of the 2025 WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces as a rookie, appearing in all 44 regular season games and finishing fourth among franchise rookies in made three-pointers with 37.
A guard out of the University of Alabama, Nye is one of the sharper shooters in the league. She finished her college career with 389 three-pointers across stops at Alabama and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, shooting 40.9 percent from beyond the arc. In her final season with the Crimson Tide, she earned Second Team All-SEC honors after averaging 15.2 points per game and setting the program’s single-season record with 111 made three-pointers.
To make room for Nye, the Dream waived guard Holly Winterburn, a move that came with an emotional cost. Winterburn, a Northampton, England native who went undrafted in 2025 before signing with Atlanta as a free agent, said she learned she had been cut just before boarding the bus for the team’s first game of the season on May 9.
“I thought my welcome to the W moment would happen on the court, not as I’m getting on the bus for my first ever game,” Winterburn wrote on Instagram. “But that’s the reality of this business and I will always be grateful for the opportunity Atlanta gave me. I’m built for this.”
Winterburn did not stay without a job for long. The Portland Fire signed her to a developmental contract shortly after her release.
After Tuesday’s road win in Dallas, the Dream return home Sunday to face the defending champion Las Vegas Aces at 1:30 p.m. at State Farm Arena.
Atlanta’s vibrant food scene offers diners so much more than comfort food classics (although top-notch versions of chicken, biscuits, and all the fixings can be found here, certainly), and leaving the city without tucking into an unforgettable meal should be criminal. But the trick is knowing where to go.
To make your stay in The A culinarily memorable, you need not only an up-to-date list of the city’s epicurean hotspots, but you also need to choose a home base that makes it easy to get to where you want to go. Choose your hotel poorly, and you might miss where fine dining finds industrial restoration in West Midtown, the continuous creative renewal in buildings and on menus in Old Fourth Ward, or the spirit and soulful flavors of Atlanta’s southside. That won’t be an issue with what’s below.
Old Fourth Ward
The walkable Old Fourth Ward neighborhood (O4W for short, which is located north of downtown Atlanta and southeast of Midtown) is home to many of the city’s top food spots. Find a morning pick-me-up from Chrome Yellow Trading Co., sweet treat from Little Tart bakery, or a decadent sandwich from Kinship Butcher & Sundry, where you can choose if you want your breakfast sausage sandwich served “double double,” or opt for a lunchier option like griddled pork belly with “drunken” mustard on brioche. Eastbound to downtown Decatur, Michelin-recommended and James-Beard-Foundation-recognized restaurants like Kimball House, home to some of metro Atlanta’s best oysters and craft cocktails, and The Deer & The Dove, where farm-to-table is performed with a fierce focus on flavor, are admired far beyond their suburban city’s limits.
O4W is also near historic Inman Park, where you can find exceptional pasta at BoccaLupo, steaks at Kevin Rathbun Steak, or dinner with premium cocktails at Ticonderoga Club at Krog Street Market.
Forth
Forth bills itself as part hotel, part local hangout and membership club, and its range of amenities and convenient location makes it a smart choice for your home base. It’s just off the Atlanta Beltline’s Eastside Trail and a five-minute walk to Ponce City Market, a food hall with stalls from a who’s-who of Atlanta’s culinary talent. (Don’t miss Botiwalla, where chef Meherwan Irani of the award-winning restaurant Chai Pani is slinging dishes inspired by Indian street food.)
Rooms at Forth mix mid-century style and modern function, you’ll find both heavy black telephones inspired by the old-school rotary dials and Bluetooth-enabled radio speakers in groovy wooden and brushed copper casing. The decor is otherwise understated, featuring metallics and earthtones, which allows the views they afford of the surrounding buildings and Beltline activity below to stay the star.
McCollum ruins Knicks’ night again, leading the Hawks to a 109-108 victory and a 2-1 lead
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Apr 23, 2026, 10:32 pm – AP
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