Switchyards to open co-working space within historic Midtown hotel

Co-working company Switchyards announced it will open a location next year within Midtown’s oldest hotel building.

The Atlanta-based startup is leasing 3,200 square feet within the street level of the historic Biltmore Hotel at 817 W. Peachtree St. NW, according to a news release. The shared workspaces will debut Jan. 12, coinciding with the hotel’s 100-year anniversary. The location also puts Switchyards on the doorstep of Georgia Tech’s bustling Technology Square.

The Biltmore Hotel lit up the radio towers on the roof for the first time in years in this photo from 2004, changing the city skyline. The hotel is located between 5th and 6th Street on West Peachtree Street. AJC File Photo

Founded in 2016, Switchyards leases offices to turn into “neighborhood work clubs,” which are co-working spaces that can be shared by startups and entrepreneurs. It’s a model popularized by WeWork, the New York company that declared bankruptcy last week following an infamous stretch of financial ups and downs.

Switchyards Midtown with the Biltmore Hotel will be the company’s 10th metro Atlanta location. Paid members have 24/7 access to all Switchyard locations, including the company’s spot in Nashville, and can enjoy amenities like endless coffee and tea, meeting spaces and a library.

This is a photo of a Switchyards co-working location.

“Atlanta is Switchyards’ home,” the company’s CEO and founder Michael Tavani said in the release. “And Midtown feels like the perfect neighborhood to celebrate our 10th work club opening. It’s the beating heart of the city, and the kind of place we love — historic, walkable, residential and full of soul.”