Downtown Athens now has two small, boutique, luxury hotels, The Bell and The Athenian, each showcasing an adaptive reuse of a historic building.
The Bell has opened on the corner of Clayton and Hull streets, in a 108-year-old building that was built to house Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph operations and equipment before becoming law offices in the late 1960s. Owners Brad and Marie Brumley Foster say their facility combines the luxury of a high-end hotel with the accessibility of an Airbnb. For them, it’s an undertaking embraced by their family, which includes three sons.
Brad Foster says owning a 100-year-old building—it’s on the National Register of Historic Places—on a main street in a Southern town was one of his dreams. Before buying The Bell in 2022, he worked primarily in light industrial development, building small warehouses. He and Marie hired Athens-based architecture firm Arcollab on the redesign, “and we wanted to make it both luxurious and cozy,” he says. “We learned as we went along.”
The Bell is managed by Kasa, a hospitality company. They provide contactless check-in, smartphone room access and round-the-clock front desk support. There are eight rooms, two with a balcony, as well as a four-bedroom suite on the top floor. Each room features fine art created by Marie Foster’s nephew, Brooklyn-based illustrator Alex Robitaille.
A rooftop terrace, complete with a restroom and catering facilities, can accommodate 20 people for an art opening, a private get-together or other event. Two rooms are ADA accessible. The first floor features a parlor with a few tables and chairs and a wooden bar, open only to hotel guests.
With 11 rooms, the Athenian is in a restored and expanded Greek revival home built in the 1840s by Athens native Stevens Thomas on West Hancock Avenue, nearby Creature Comforts Brewing Co. His wife Isabella and he reared their seven children there. The house functioned as a sanatorium for several years until the Athens YWCA bought it for a boarding house for women. A local attorney bought the building in the 1980s and used it as offices.
In 2022, Lauren and Chad Brown, along with Reign and Monic Huff Streiter, bought the Stevens Thomas House. They hired local architect David Matheny and began renovations, adding on to the back of the house. The Athenian opened in fall 2024, and the owners spent months focusing on “the operations and guest experience,” says Lauren Brown. “Now we’re getting the word out.”
Rooms in the front contain many of the house’s original architectural features—hardwood floors, crown molding and fireplaces. There are several common spaces: a lounge, a sitting room, the front porch or the backyard. Guests can enjoy a complimentary glass of wine or soft drink.
At both hotels, the cost of an overnight stay varies according to whether it’s on a weekday or weekend and the size of the room, but prices start at about $400 and go up. Events like a UGA football game and graduation will drive the demand for accommodations and will drive up the cost. The Bell is already seeing people reserve rooms for UGA spring graduation.
The Bell and The Athenian could serve as an example for the Saye Building across Hancock Avenue from First United Methodist Church. Although it is part of the West Downtown Historic District, the church is seeking to tear it down. A group of investors has offered the church $2 million to save it from the wrecking ball.
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