Downtown Atlanta

Edit links
Coordinates: 33°45′18″N 84°23′24″W / 33.75500°N 84.39000°W / 33.75500; -84.39000
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Downtown Atlanta
EDT)
Websitehttps://www.atlantadowntown.com/

Downtown Atlanta is the central business district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The largest of the city's three commercial districts (Midtown and Buckhead being the others), it is the location of many corporate and regional headquarters; city, county, state, and federal government facilities; Georgia State University; sporting venues; and most of Atlanta's tourist attractions. It measures approximately four square miles, and had 26.850 residents as of 2017.[1] Similar to other central business districts in the United States, it has recently undergone a transformation that includes the construction of new condos and lofts, renovation of historic buildings, and arrival of new residents and businesses.

Geography

Downtown is bound by

SoNo and Castleberry Hill
.

The Atlanta Downtown Improvement District (ADID) organization, though, defines a much smaller downtown area measuring just one and two tenths square miles. This area is roughly bound by North Avenue to the north, Piedmont Avenue and the

South Downtown
.

History

Downtown Atlanta, 1889

The history of downtown began in 1826 with Wilson Lumpkin and Hamilton Fulton surveying a possible canal route between Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Milledgeville, Georgia's capital at the time.[2][3] In 1833, Lumpkin, who had become governor, requested that the state legislature charter three railroad lines. By 1836, the state-financed Western and Atlantic Railroad, linking the middle of Georgia to the other states north and west, was granted a charter by the legislature, which was signed into law by Lumpkin. As a result, the town named Terminus was founded in 1837, named for the end of the railroad line.[4] Terminus received a name change in 1842 when the town's 30 inhabitants voted to change the town's name to Marthasville, in honor of Governor Lumpkin's daughter.[5]

By 1845,

Georgia Railroad, suggested that Marthasville's name be changed. The first suggestion was "Atlantica-Pacifica", which was shortened to "Atlanta".[6] In 1847, Atlanta was incorporated, with the town limits extending in a one-mile (1.6 km) radius from the mile marker at the railroad depot.[7]

By the outbreak of the Civil War, Atlanta was a major railroad hub and manufacturing center, making it a target for the Union Army. In 1864, General William T. Sherman burned Atlanta to the ground during his March to the Sea, making Atlanta the only major American city to be destroyed by war.[6][8]

Peachtree Street, 1882

Atlanta's first resurgence began during

Reconstruction. In 1868, Georgia's state capital was moved to the city from Milledgeville. By the 1920s, a downtown business sector ringed by residential districts had emerged.[6]

Professional sports came to Atlanta in 1965 with the construction of

Philips Arena.[6]

Downtown commuters waiting for a bus in 1974

Business growth in the 1970s resulted in significant development in Downtown, most notably in

Five Points, however, despite the construction of the MARTA central station there in 1975.[9] By the mid-1980s, Peachtree Center had become the core of a dedicated hotel-convention district that lay at the heart of the Downtown economy, even as the remainder of Downtown Atlanta deteriorated markedly.[10]

The closure of Underground Atlanta in 1979 due to an increase in crime contributed to perceptions that Downtown was dangerous, and the 1980s saw a significant decline in population. By 1990, Five Points was a "vacant shell of its former self," while Downtown as a whole was largely an "archepelagic assemblage of fortified enclaves inhabited in the daylight hours by government office workers, conventioners, and college students, and in the night by a substantial population of homeless persons."[11]

The

Center for Civil and Human Rights, and the College Football Hall of Fame.[6] Following the 1996 games, Georgia State University president Carl Patton, an urban planner, initiated a university-led transformation of Downtown that sought to make Georgia State "a part of the city, not apart from the city." Dubbed the Main Street Master Plan, Patton's vision has been executed through billions of dollars of urban construction, boosting Downtown's economy and population.[12]

On March 14, 2008, at approximately 9:40 pm

EF2 tornado hit Downtown with winds up to 135 miles per hour (217 km/h). It caused damage to Philips Arena, the Georgia Dome, Centennial Olympic Park, the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel, the CNN Center, and the Georgia World Congress Center. It was the first time a tornado touched ground in Downtown since weather record keeping began in the 1880s. While there were dozens of injuries, there was only one fatality.[13]

Cityscape

Atlanta Downtown Festival and Tour

Downtown contains some of the tallest buildings in Atlanta. The tallest building in Atlanta, the Bank of America Plaza building, is situated between Midtown Atlanta and Downtown. Rising at 1,023 feet (312 m),[14] Bank of America Plaza is also the tallest building in any of the U.S. state capitals, and one of the tallest buildings in the United States outside of New York City and Chicago.

Downtown is the heart and the largest of the three business districts of the city. This area contains striking architecture dating as far back as the 19th century. Some of the most famous and/or tallest buildings in Downtown include:

The Downtown skyline

Neighborhoods

Marietta Street in downtown Atlanta

Downtown is divided into nine subdistricts:[15]

Economy

Downtown contains over 26 million square feet (2,400,000 m2) of office space; combined with Midtown as the central business district they make up over 48 million

Miami.[18]
Downtown's economy is also driven by its government facilities, venues, and retail options.

Governmental facilities

The Federal government maintains a strong presence in Downtown. The

Centennial Tower and the Atlanta Regional Census Center in Suite 1000 in the Marquis Two Tower in the Peachtree Center.[19] The National Transportation Safety Board operates the Atlanta Aviation Field Office in the Atlanta Federal Center in Downtown Atlanta.[20] The Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Building was built and "designed and constructed to accommodate the rapidly expanding volume of the Postal Service, which was then oriented around a single, central processing facility."[21]

The Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center is the ninth largest federal building in the United States and the largest in the southeast.[22] It "houses 5,000 employees for dozens of federal agencies and combines four distinct structural elements in central downtown, equaling 2 million square feet (190,000 m2)." The Richard B. Russell Federal Building, a 1.25-million-square-foot (116,000 m2) mixed-used office building, contains the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia and offices for several other federal agencies, including the Department of Energy's regional office.[23]

Further north in the

Elbert P. Tuttle
U.S. Court of Appeals building, named after a former Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (the predecessor court to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit).

The State Bar of Georgia, the former Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.

Downtown is also marked by its state, county, and city government facilities. The

South Downtown. Its gold dome is visible from the Downtown Connector. The Fulton County Government Center, the seat of the Fulton County Government, is located on Pryor Street. The Fulton County Courthouse is located directly across the street from the Fulton County Government Center. A few blocks away from the U.S. Court of Appeals is the State Bar of Georgia building, the former location of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
before it moved to its Midtown location in 2001.

Venues and convention centers

Downtown is home to most of the city's major sporting venues.

football stadiums—the latter built from the legacy of the defunct Centennial Olympic Stadium and Turner Field
.

Street scene in Peachtree Center

The Tabernacle, located on Luckie Street, is a music concert hall built in 1910 for the Tabernacle Baptist Church. In 1996 it was converted into a House of Blues Club for the Olympics.[24] It was renamed "The Tabernacle" in 1998.[25]
The concert hall is four stories and can seat 2600.

AmericasMart is a wholesale trade center consisting of four buildings totaling seven million square feet.[26] The Mart hosts several trade shows every year including Market Wednesday, Atlanta Apparel, Atlanta Spring Immediate Delivery, and The Atlanta International Gift and Home Furnishings Market. Some permanent showrooms are open daily, though many are open only part of the time or during trade shows.

Clustered around the Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the CNN Center, the Georgia World Congress Center is a state-owned convention center. Opened in 1976, it was the first state owned and operated major convention center in the United States.[27] As the fourth largest convention center in the United States and with 1.4 million square feet (130,000 m2) of space, more than a million people attend conventions at the Georgia World Congress Center annually, and as many 125,000 people attend a single event.

Retail

Located near the MARTA Five Points Station, Underground Atlanta is Downtown's shopping and entertainment district. During the 1920s, streets in the area were raised above the ground (and the railroad tracks) for a better flow of traffic.[28] Under these viaducts is a district for entertainment and shopping. It contains retail stores, restaurants that serve a variety of different foods, and several nightclubs in Kenny's Alley.[29][30][31] The Mall at Peachtree Center, located on Peachtree Street, has 60 specialty shops, including six full-scale restaurants, as well as a regular food court, a conference center in the South Tower. It also includes the Peachtree Center Athletic Club, which contains a 72,000-square-foot (6,700 m2) full service athletic facility.[32] Transit access is provided MARTA's Peachtree Center station that is directly connected to it. Centennial Yards is a $5 billion mixed-use development that is expected to be completed in 2026. The transformative 50-acre project will bring more restaurants, entertainment, housing, hotel rooms, and retail stores to downtown.[33][34]

Diplomatic missions

The

Consulate-General of the United Kingdom is located in the Georgia-Pacific Tower.[39]

Parks

Public art in Peachtree Center

1996 Olympic Games, Centennial Olympic Park, located on 21-acre (85,000 m2) area of Downtown, is the largest downtown park in the United States developed in the last 25 years.[41]

A famous part of the park is the Fountain of Rings, the world's largest interactive fountain utilizing the Olympic symbol of five interconnecting rings. The park hosts many events, such as music concerts and a fireworks display for the Independence Day holiday. Hurt Park with its lighted fountain was an attraction in the 1940s and 1950s, and is a reminder of a bygone time.

A playground spelling "ATL" in Woodruff Park

Attractions

Just north of Centennial Olympic Park is the Georgia Aquarium, the world's third largest aquarium, after Marine Life Park in Singapore built in 2012 and the Chimelong Ocean Kingdom in China built in 2010. The Georgia Aquarium remains the largest aquarium in the United States and in the Western Hemisphere, with more than 8 million US gallons (30,000 m3) of fresh and marine water.[42] It is listed as one of the "1,000 Places to See Before You Die".[43]

The World of Coca-Cola, situated near the Georgia Aquarium at Pemberton Place, is a permanent exhibition to the history of Coca-Cola. Downtown is in the process of bringing new attractions to the area, particularly in the area clustered around Centennial Olympic Park. In June 2008, Atlanta was selected for the future home of the National Health Museum. It will be near Centennial Olympic Park where it is estimated to attract between 1.1 and 1.4 million visitors per year.[44]

Education

Georgia State University

Georgia State University, a four-year public research institution, has been a major force in Downtown's resurgence. Downtown has benefited from the flurry of GSU-related construction and land acquisitions as the institution undergoes its transformation from a commuter school to a traditional university. In the early 2000s, under then-president Carl Patton, the university undertook the creation of a master plan that would make GSU "a part of the city, not apart from the city." The resulting $1 billion master plan has led to 14 new or renovated university buildings, including academic structures, student dormitories, dining halls, and sporting facilities. The result is a reinvigorated Downtown, especially in the areas around Woodruff Park and Sweet Auburn.[45]

Transportation

Downtown Connector

Downtown is a transportation hub for the entire region. The Downtown Connector runs north and south through the district. The Connector is the primary freeway artery for the city. Downtown is also served by Interstate 20, which creates the southern border of Downtown. Downtown also has many surface streets that serve as alternatives to the Downtown Connector.

Dome/GWCC/Philips Arena/CNN Center and Georgia State
.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Downtown Counts" (PDF). www.atlantadowntown.com. Central Atlanta Progress. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  2. ^ ATLANTA HISTORY, 1782-1859, accessed June 8, 2008
  3. ^ "Building the Western and Atlantic Railroad". About North Georgia. Golden Ink. Archived from the original on 8 June 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  4. ^ New Georgia Encyclopedia: Atlanta, accessed on July 29, 2009
  5. ^ History of Atlanta - 1792 to the 1900s, accessed July 29, 2009
  6. ^ a b c d e CAP/ADID Having Fun - Atlanta History Archived 2008-05-14 at the Wayback Machine, accessed June 8, 2008
  7. ^ "Western & Atlantic Railroad Zero Milepost-Atlanta: A National Register of Historical Places Travel Itinerary".
  8. ^ "1782 - 1859 - I love Atlanta".
  9. ^ "Atlanta". New Georgia Encyclopedia.
  10. ^ Theorizing the City: The New Urban Anthropology Reader, edited by Setha M. Low, pp. 324-35
  11. ^ Theorizing the City: The New Urban Anthropology Reader, edited by Setha M. Low, p. 318
  12. ^ The University As Urban Developer: Case Studies And Analysis, edited by David C. Perry and Wim Wiewel, p. 139
  13. Atlanta Journal and Constitution
    , March 15, 2008. Retrieved March 15, 2008.
  14. ^ GmbH, Emporis. "Bank of America Plaza, Atlanta - 121137 - EMPORIS". www.emporis.com. Archived from the original on May 1, 2007.
  15. ^ CAP/ADID Doing Business - Atlanta-at-a-Glance Archived May 9, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  16. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-26. Retrieved 2011-07-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  17. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-26. Retrieved 2007-09-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  18. ^ "Colliers Setup SPREADS" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-26. Retrieved 2007-09-04.
  19. U.S. Census Bureau
    . Retrieved on January 17, 2010.
  20. ^ "Regional Offices: Aviation." National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved on May 15, 2010.
  21. ^ Historic Federal Buildings Archived 2009-04-07 at the Wayback Machine, accessed on June 13, 2008
  22. ^ Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center - Atlanta Business Chronicle, accessed on June 13, 2008
  23. ^ Richard B. Russell Federal Building - ENERGY Start, accessed on June 13, 2008
  24. ^ "Tabernacle Atlanta - History". Archived from the original on 2008-06-05. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
  25. ^ Saporta, Maria (March 12, 1998), "Former House of Blues reopening in downtown as the Tabernacle", The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, p. F-2, retrieved 2009-02-02
  26. ^ "AmericasMart Atlanta". Americas Mart Atlanta. AMC, Inc. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
  27. ^ GWCC Archived 2008-07-01 at the Wayback Machine, accessed on June 13, 2008
  28. ^ "Loading..." www.underground-atlanta.com.
  29. ^ "Loading..." www.underground-atlanta.com.
  30. ^ "Loading..." www.underground-atlanta.com.
  31. ^ "Loading..." www.underground-atlanta.com.
  32. ^ "Peachtree Center - The Hearf of Atlanta". Archived from the original on 2002-11-08.
  33. ^ https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/centennial-yards-next-phase-downtown-redevelopment/85-db6bd6c0-c09c-437c-a11b-01d6e4484195#:~:text=ATLANTA%20%E2%80%94%20The%20developer%20behind%20Centennial,to%20a%20Monday%20news%20release.
  34. ^ https://centennialyards.com/news/
  35. Consulate-General of Argentina in Atlanta
    . Retrieved on July 28, 2009.
  36. ^ "Peachtree Center[permanent dead link]" (Map). Peachtree Center. Retrieved on July 28, 2009.
  37. Consulate-General of Germany in Atlanta
    . Retrieved on July 28, 2009.
  38. Consulate-General of South Korea in Atlanta
    . Retrieved on July 28, 2009.
  39. ^ "British Consulate-General - Atlanta Archived 2009-07-21 at the Wayback Machine." UK in the USA. Retrieved on July 28, 2009.
  40. ^ WOODRUFFPARK.COM, accessed June 13, 2008
  41. ^ "PARK - Georgia World Congress Center Authority". www.centennialpark.com. Archived from the original on 2010-08-19. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
  42. ^ "Explore the Aquarium - The Georgia Aquarium". Archived from the original on 2008-06-17. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
  43. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-06-17. Retrieved 2008-06-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  44. ^ "CAP/ADID- National Museum of Health". Archived from the original on 2008-06-29. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
  45. ^ "GSU picks site for business, law schools" Atlanta Business Chronicle

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Downtown Atlanta, Georgia.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Downtown_Atlanta&oldid=1218224889"