Jim Irwin is the President of New City, a commercial real estate development firm based in Atlanta. With a career that spans over $1 billion in new investments across the U.S., Jim is known for reshaping urban spaces with purpose and style. Before founding New City, he led the acclaimed redevelopment of Atlanta’s Ponce City Market, one of the largest historic renovations in the country. His latest venture, FORTH, a hotel and social club in the Old Fourth Ward, opened in Summer 2024 and has already earned national buzz, landing a spot on Esquire’s Best Hotels in the World list.

In this episode, Jim sits down with Steve to chat through the art of building development, the challenges and surprises in renovating historic adaptive reuse spaces, where he found inspiration for the iconic Ponce City Market, and what it feels like to create spaces in his hometown of Atlanta. Thank you to the FORTH Hotel for allowing us to use the space to film this episode.