The train depot before the paint job (Courtesy Google Maps)
And after (Courtesy Curbed Atlanta)

The painting of a historic train depot in Reynoldstown has created backlash on social media against a local restaurateur and his designer.

Social media lit up over the weekend when it was discovered that the 80-year-old, red brick Atlanta and West Point Rail Road depot on Memorial Drive had been painted white. The depot, which sits along the Atlanta BeltLine’s Eastside Trail, was formerly the H. Harper station restaurant and bar.

Michael Lennox, founder of Ladybird Grove & Mess Hall, is opening two new restaurants in the depot: The Golden Eagle, “a workingman’s tavern,” and Muchacho, a West Coast influenced counter service hangout.

The restaurants’ Facebook page was deleted after abusive comments were posted, while designer Elizabeth Ingram also faced retaliation as users started posting one-star reviews of her business.

Despite the depot’s age and significant, it does not hold any landmark status nor is it listed on any historical registers.

To read more about the kerfuffle , visit the AJC and Curbed Atlanta.

Collin Kelley has been the editor of Atlanta Intown for two decades and has been a journalist and freelance writer for 35 years. He’s also an award-winning poet and novelist.