The Ellis Building’s restoration recaptures its character for use as the new restaurant Atlas. Dining areas take advantage of a 1920s car service building with large windows and open space. Much of the glass has been restored and deterioration repaired to ensure the longevity of the building. The restaurant sits in area that generally housed a mixture of residential and commercial properties from the early 20th century. In the later half of the 20th century the surrounding blocks transitioned to include more new commercial structures, houses remodeled for commercial uses, and new denser residential structures. The project makes use of remaining historical fabric to reflect the new demand for dining and entertainment in the area.

As early car service structure, the building expresses an initial part of modernization in the area. The dark red load-bearing brick walls support built up wood trusses that span the width of the building freeing the plan for modification. New partitions accumulated on the south side of the building, leaving the original office and garage entry intact on the primary façade. Eventually the glazed folding garage doors were replaced by an opaque overhead door and other glazing was covered. A period of intermittent vacancy lead to deterioration in the roof and structure causing to water damage and stopgap shoring of the trusses. Through repairs and replacement of glazing, the restoration returns the building to the neighborhood with its former novelty and an engaging function.