Fires at two historic Atlanta buildings under investigation

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Caroline Silva

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

(TNS)

Two historic buildings in northeast Atlanta caught fire Thursday evening.

The fire occurred at the former Atlanta Eagle gay bar and Kodak building in the 300 block of Ponce De Leon Avenue in Midtown. Footage from the scene appeared to show giant flames engulfing the original Kodak sign that stands atop the building.

Several fire trucks responded to the fire, which was first reported around 8 p.m. As crews worked to extinguish hot spots, parts of the roof of the Atlanta Eagle building appeared charred and were collapsing. The Kodak sign was still standing, but authorities did not say whether it was now a hazard.

The cause of the fire was not provided.

The Kodak Building was constructed in the early 1900s as a private residence. Star Photo moved into the building in 1951, as Ponce De Leon Avenue was becoming a busy commercial corridor. The building was then covered with signage, including the iconic Kodak sign.

The Atlanta Eagle was originally built as a single-family home in 1898 and has become a well-known gay bar over the past 30 years. It became the first recognized and protected LGBTQ landmark in the Deep South, according to Historic Atlanta, which advocated for the building’s preservation.

Thursday’s incident is located near Krispy Kreme which reopened in 2023 after back-to-back fires destroyed the building. The business closed in February 2021 due to a fire, then demolished that summer after a second fire in July.

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