Palms Grill Cafe

The cafe is located in north half of the 1867 Downey Building which was built with two commercial spaces on the ground floor. The building was donated to the Atlanta Public Library and Museum in 2002 which reopened the cafe after rehabbing it.

The Palms Grill Cafe currently seats 47 in the front room and has a daily blue-plate special. They are also known for their pies. There is a back room that was once a dance hall that today seats an additional 60 people.

Other occupants of the cafe space included a millinery store (1887), a hardware store (1892), and the Ellis Dillon Grocery (1900 - 1926). Occupants from 1867 - 1887, 1926 - 1934 and 1960 to 1982 are still a mystery to us.

In 1940s the Greyhound Bus stopped here. A small light at the bottom of the neon sign would light up to alert bus drivers to stop when there were passengers waiting.

The door in the center of the Downey Building led to a stairway to the second floor and also the division between the two commercial spaces on the ground floor. What look like two bricked in windows on the second floor actually were designed and built like that as part of the original construction. Each side of the original ground floor facade more or less mimicked the design on the second floor. Three arches on each side with the center arch containing the entry doors and the other arches containing windows.

Over the years the south side of the Downey Building was occupied by a series of banks and then a law firm until 1960. Now the Atlanta Museum is in the south side. In the early 1900s the first floor facades of the building were altered significantly. The building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

Photo(s): 2012, 2015