For Nigel Livingstone, moving to The Front Porch meant more than finding a place for himself and his two sons. It gave him more time with them, greater peace of mind and a stronger connection to Sweet Auburn.
“The sunset’s nice up there,” Nigel Livingstone says, talking about the rooftop at The Front Porch.
Nigel lives there with his two sons, and the rooftop has become one of the places where they spend time together.
“Just hanging out there with my boys. It’s very cool.”
But the rooftop is only part of what Nigel likes about living there. What matters most is the time he gets back.
Before moving, he needed a place with enough room for his family, a reasonable commute to work and school, and easy access to the places they use every day.
“I was looking for a space that would suit myself and the boys,” he says. “It needed to be somewhere that was close to work, and to their school, and also somewhere that was accessible.”
The Front Porch checked those boxes.
It also gave him something he did not necessarily expect in the middle of the city.
“It’s kind of quiet, even though we’re in the center of town,” he says. “It’s this perfect balance.”
The boys liked it, too. Within about a week, Nigel says, the apartment felt like home.
Getting Time Back
For Nigel, one of the biggest differences between his previous home and The Front Porch comes down to the commute.
Before moving to Sweet Auburn, he lived farther outside the city. More of his day was spent getting between work, school and home.
Now, those trips are shorter.
“More time for me to be at home, more time for me to spend with my kids,” Nigel says. “Less time being on the road, and it feels like less wasted time.”
Living closer in has changed some of his routine, too.
The BeltLine is less than a mile away, giving him an easy place to walk or run. There’s a grocery store nearby, which makes picking up fresh food and cooking at home easier.
“I found myself cooking more and being more active since I’ve been living here,” he says.
The difference is practical. Nigel spends less time in traffic and more of his day where he actually wants to be.
Finding Community
When Nigel first moved into The Front Porch, only a handful of residents were there.
As the building filled up, he started getting to know more of his neighbors.
“Everybody’s very friendly,” he says. “Everybody’s really nice, considerate and helpful.”
Some of those connections have happened pretty casually. Nigel and another resident both drive electric vehicles, which gave them something to talk about. He has also met college students and other neighbors he probably would not have crossed paths with otherwise.
“Sometimes it’s interesting talking to people who you wouldn’t typically sit and communicate with,” Nigel says. “It just gives you a different perspective on life.”
He likes having both options: a place that feels private and secure, but also somewhere he can get to know people.
Rooftop events give residents a chance to gather, and businesses in the development add more activity without making the building feel crowded.
Over time, The Front Porch has started to feel like more than the place where Nigel happens to live.
Getting to Know Sweet Auburn
Nigel did not know much about Sweet Auburn before moving there.
He is not originally from Georgia or the United States, so much of the neighborhood’s history was new to him.
“I think it’s made me more aware of the history of the neighborhood,” Nigel says.
Living in Sweet Auburn made that history harder to overlook. He regularly passes places connected to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and sees visitors coming into the neighborhood to learn more about it.
“I didn’t really know anything about Sweet Auburn,” he says. Learning about “the Black culture” of the neighborhood, its businesses and its ties to Dr. King has been “pretty awesome.”
It also got him thinking about the people who have lived in the area for years.
“This is essentially their home,” Nigel says. “So it’s important for them to be able to stay here.”
When longtime residents can no longer afford to remain, Nigel believes the neighborhood loses something with them.
“They lose a little bit of that soul and spirit in what makes the places special,” he says.
For him, preserving Sweet Auburn means more than keeping historic buildings standing. The people and culture that made the neighborhood matter have to remain part of it, too.
And there is a personal connection.
“As a person of color, given the history and the location of this place, that’s one of the things that makes you feel like home,” Nigel says. “It’s a little bit more special when it is something that you feel like you identify with.”
Watching the Neighborhood Grow
Nigel has seen The Front Porch change since he moved in.
There are more residents now. Businesses have opened. The shared spaces get more use.
“I’m excited to see it thrive,” he says.
He also hopes younger generations get the chance to understand what Sweet Auburn has been through and why the neighborhood still matters.
“I hope that they’re able to see what was, what is now, and what is possible in the future,” Nigel says. “How this place has grown and how it has been resilient, and it wasn’t wiped off of the map.”
For Nigel, though, the appeal of living here is not complicated. He has a better commute, more time with his sons and a place that feels connected to something bigger than the building itself.
“The Front Porch is home,” Nigel says. “I feel surrounded by people who are like me. I feel that this is a community with some history. And I like it over here.”