DuPre Excelsior Mill

Infobox Venue
name = The Masquerade


image_caption = The Masquerade, January 2006
nickname = The Masq
location = 695 North Ave
Atlanta, Georgia 30308
coordinates =
type = nightclub
genre = rock, metal, rockabilly, techno
broke_ground =
built =
opened = 1988
renovated =
expanded =
closed =
demolished =
owner =
former_names =
seating_type =
seating_capacity =
website =http://www.masq.com/

Dupre Excelsior Mill is a former excelsior mill located at 695 North Avenue in the Poncey-Highland neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia. The mill was built in 1890 by DuPre Manufacturing Co. During the late 1970s and 1980s, the buildings were home to an independent pizzeria, complete with a small movie theater and an in-house pipe organ. In 1988, it became the Masquerade, now a well-known nightclub and concert venue for both indoor and outdoor shows.

In January 2006, the club was sold to developers Poncey Highlands Investors, who agreed not to destroy the building which many locals are seeking historic designation for. Tentative plans are that it may again become a restaurant, possibly with a microbrewery. Condominiums will be built around it, and the Belt Line behind it will likely become used for rapid transit again in the somewhat near future. The club's former owner plans to reopen it at another location, but many doubt it can ever be the same without its historic building.

As of 2008, the club has continued operation as a nightclub and concert venue with rock, metal, rockabilly, and techno continuing to pound at the walls.

City Hall East, opposite the club on the north side of the street, is also slated for redevelopment into loft apartments. The area is within neighborhood planning unit M (NPU-M).

References

* [http://web.archive.org/web/20070311092408/http://www.the-stories.com/gbase/Expedite/Content?oid=oid:5286 TheStoryGroup.com article]
* [http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/2004-09-02/news_feature2.html Creative Loafing article]