Whatever happened to Baby Doe’s? 13/34
Jump to… You asked, we answered: 34 things you probably don’t know about Atlanta Is Atlanta even enforcing electric scooter laws? Why are there so many damn potholes on DeKalb Avenue? Why is Underground Atlanta underground? What’s the most expensive meal in Atlanta? What does Atlanta do with my garbage and recycling? Did Clermont Lounge’s Blondie really publish a book of poetry? Why is there only one Bojangles’ ITP and a million immediately outside it? How many different cities has Hollywood turned Fairlie-Poplar into? Where did “Hotlanta” come from and why does it refuse to die? Why can’t Decatur get a Trader Joe’s? What animals have gotten loose on Atlanta highways? How many cold cases does the Atlanta Police Department have on file? Whatever happened to Baby Doe’s? How did each Kroger get its nickname? What goes into protecting the Coca-Cola formula? Why does it seem like there are suddenly more homeless people downtown? How much longer can Atlanta be a City in the Forest? Who’s the more successful movie producer: Will Packer or Tyler Perry? Why can private businesses hire cops to direct traffic on busy streets? Why does downtown Atlanta have overhead gerbil tunnels between buildings? Why do street names change at Ponce? How long could Atlanta survive in a disaster? When was Atlanta’s worst snowstorm? What happened to the giant ants at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport? Who the hell is Sloppy Floyd? What’s the fastest speed ever recorded on Ga. 400? I was in an accident on a highway with cameras. Why can’t I get footage? Who owns that tower with the torch next to the Connector? Who killed Ryan Gravel’s hopes and dreams for the BeltLine? How much can an Atlanta stripper make on a great night? Where are the best places in Atlanta to spot celebrities? Does anyone actually like the Varsity? Could commuter rail ever be installed on the train tracks that already run through Cobb County? Why is it so hard to buy a starter home in the city?
Long before steampunk and faux speakeasies, there was Baby Doe’s Matchless Mine . This three-story restaurant and bar jutted out over I-285 above the Chattahoochee River in the 1980s—during the dying days of the bacchanal that was the nearby Riverbend apartments. With its tin roof, water tower, and tipple cars, the ramshackle wooden structure looked like a theme-park attraction. The entrance resembled a mineshaft, which led either up to the dining room or down to the bar and dance floor. Decor was fringed Victorian lampshade–meets–rusting pickax. This location at Powers Ferry Road was actually part of a seven-city national chain named for Elizabeth “Baby Doe” Tabor, an infamous gold-digger (silver, to be accurate) who married a wealthy Colorado mining mogul twice her age in the late 19th century. The kitchen’s specialty was beer cheese soup. The long-abandoned structure was demolished two decades ago to make way for an extended-stay hotel.
This article appears in our November 2019 issue .
13/34
Jump to… You asked, we answered: 34 things you probably don’t know about Atlanta Is Atlanta even enforcing electric scooter laws? Why are there so many damn potholes on DeKalb Avenue? Why is Underground Atlanta underground? What’s the most expensive meal in Atlanta? What does Atlanta do with my garbage and recycling? Did Clermont Lounge’s Blondie really publish a book of poetry? Why is there only one Bojangles’ ITP and a million immediately outside it? How many different cities has Hollywood turned Fairlie-Poplar into? Where did “Hotlanta” come from and why does it refuse to die? Why can’t Decatur get a Trader Joe’s? What animals have gotten loose on Atlanta highways? How many cold cases does the Atlanta Police Department have on file? Whatever happened to Baby Doe’s? How did each Kroger get its nickname? What goes into protecting the Coca-Cola formula? Why does it seem like there are suddenly more homeless people downtown? How much longer can Atlanta be a City in the Forest? Who’s the more successful movie producer: Will Packer or Tyler Perry? Why can private businesses hire cops to direct traffic on busy streets? Why does downtown Atlanta have overhead gerbil tunnels between buildings? Why do street names change at Ponce? How long could Atlanta survive in a disaster? When was Atlanta’s worst snowstorm? What happened to the giant ants at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport? Who the hell is Sloppy Floyd? What’s the fastest speed ever recorded on Ga. 400? I was in an accident on a highway with cameras. Why can’t I get footage? Who owns that tower with the torch next to the Connector? Who killed Ryan Gravel’s hopes and dreams for the BeltLine? How much can an Atlanta stripper make on a great night? Where are the best places in Atlanta to spot celebrities? Does anyone actually like the Varsity? Could commuter rail ever be installed on the train tracks that already run through Cobb County? Why is it so hard to buy a starter home in the city?