Peachtree Arcade

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Coordinates: 33°45′15″N 84°23′26″W / 33.75417°N 84.39056°W / 33.75417; -84.39056
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Peachtree Arcade
US$500,000
OwnerFlynn Realty Co.
Technical details
Floor count6
Design and construction
Architect(s)A. Ten Eyck Brown
DeveloperR. R. Otis
Main contractorA. V. Gude & Co.

The Peachtree Arcade was a

shopping arcade in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The building, modeled after the Arcade in Cleveland, was designed by Atlanta-based architect A. Ten Eyck Brown and was located between Peachtree Street and Broad Street near Five Points. Construction began in 1917 and was completed the following year. Located in the city's central business district, it was very popular with citizens, functioning as an unofficial "civic center" for the city. However, by the 1960s, the arcade was facing increased competition from shopping malls located in Atlanta's suburbs, and in 1964, the building was demolished to make way for the First National Bank Building, a skyscraper that, at the time of its construction, was the tallest building in both Atlanta and the southeastern United States. In 1993, the American Institute of Architects
named the building as one of Atlanta's most notable landmarks to have been destroyed.

History

Site prior to the arcade

The arcade was located on a plot of land between

Concert Hall Building,[10] which served as barracks and a prison during the American Civil War,[1] was constructed. James J. Andrews, a spy known for his participation in the Great Locomotive Chase, was kept imprisoned at the building prior to his hanging.[11][1] This building was demolished after the war and was replaced by the National Hotel, which was the largest hotel in the city until the Kimball House was constructed.[1] In addition to operating as a hotel, it also served as a hospital.[12] This building was destroyed by a fire in 1902[note 2] and was later replaced by the Emery Steiner Building.[1] This property was owned by Flynn Realty Co.,[15] which was owned by Dougherty's heirs.[6]

Starting in the late 1890s, the city went through a period of rapid growth focused primarily on the area near Five Points,

Atlanta Chamber of Commerce calling the site the "most central location" in Atlanta's central business district.[15]

Construction

A monochromatic image of the atrium area of the interior of a shopping arcade
The main atrium area, 1918

The idea for a

The Atlanta Constitution after the arcade's announcement, the building "will undoubtedly compare favorably with any other such structure in the larger cities of this country and in Europe".[20]

Construction on the building began in March 1917,

labor shortage caused by emergency government work in the area slowed down progress,[22] and it wasn't completely finished until 1918.[8] By February 1918, with work still going on finishing touches that were expected to take several weeks, businesses had already begun moving into the building, with an occupancy of over 75 percent.[22]

Arcade in operation

The arcade was very popular with the public at large, with the chamber of commerce describing it as a "

day care that allowed mothers to shop without watching their children.[17] Additionally, during World War I, the YWCA relocated their Atlanta headquarters to inside the arcade,[25] and by the 1920s the arcade also hosted two schools that prepared women for work in clerical professions.[27] The arcade was such a fixture among women in Atlanta that in a 1996 article about the arcade, historian Georgina Hickey said it "was the physical embodiment of early-Twentieth-Century Atlanta's consumer culture and its ties to Atlanta's women".[28]

Demolition

A color photograph of a skyscraper in front of a blue sky
The First National Bank Building was built on the site of the arcade.

Despite its popularity, by the 1960s, the arcade faced increasing competition from

First National Bank of Atlanta, which had its headquarters next to the arcade at Five Points, announced that they would be purchasing the arcade and demolishing it in order to build a skyscraper addition to their headquarters.[1] The arcade was demolished in 1964.[30] The First National Bank Building that replaced it was completed in 1966 and was the tallest building in both Atlanta and the entire southeastern United States at the time.[31] In a 1993 book on the architecture of Atlanta, the American Institute of Architects listed the Peachtree Arcade as one of the most notable landmarks in the city to have been demolished, alongside the Carnegie Library, the Equitable Building, and Terminal Station.[32]

Architecture

The arcade had a

right-of-way,[6] and the building was designed to be compatible with the Bleckley Plaza Plan.[19] The building as a whole was designed in the Beaux-Arts style.[21]

The open central area was about 40 feet (12 m) wide and ran the length of the building from entrance to entrance,[15] which was 316 feet (96 m).[19] This central atrium area included three levels of shops,[34] with the main floor holding 40 stores.[15] The interior featured wrought iron railings, marble floors,[28] and bronze finishings throughout.[19]

Notes

  1. ^ Atlanta historian Franklin Garrett states in a 1969 book that the property was still owned by the descendants of Dougherty.[5][7] However, a 1996 article in the Atlanta History journal states that the land had been purchased by R. R. Otis, the developer of the arcade.[8]
  2. ^ The year 1902 is given in several sources,[13] including a 1969 book by Atlanta historian Franklin Garrett.[14] However, a 1987 book by historian Harold H. Martin gives the year as 1906.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Martin 1987, p. 394.
  2. ^ Garrett 1969b, pp. 85, 706.
  3. ^ Garrett 1969a, p. 57.
  4. ^ Mitchell 1930a, p. 7.
  5. ^ a b Garrett 1969a, p. 223.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Garrett 1969b, p. 706.
  7. ^ Garrett 1969b, pp. 85–86, 706.
  8. ^ a b c Hickey 1996–1997, p. 7.
  9. ^ Garrett 1969a, p. 395.
  10. ^ Garrett 1969a, pp. 465, 522.
  11. ^ Garrett 1969a, p. 522.
  12. ^ Mitchell 1930b, p. 25.
  13. ^ Craig 2012, p. 136.
  14. ^ Garrett 1969b, p. 433.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i James 1917, p. 24.
  16. ^ Hickey 1996–1997, pp. 6–7.
  17. ^ a b c d e Hickey 1996–1997, p. 8.
  18. ^ Garrett 1969b, p. 403.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l James 1917, p. 23.
  20. ^ a b c d e f g h Bidwell 1970, p. 95.
  21. ^ a b c New Georgia Encyclopedia.
  22. ^ a b c d e The City Builder 1918a, p. 25.
  23. ^ a b c The City Builder 1918b, p. 22.
  24. ^ Martin 1987, p. 493.
  25. ^ a b Judson 2006, p. 165.
  26. ^ Hickey 1996–1997, p. 9.
  27. ^ Hickey 1996–1997, p. 10.
  28. ^ a b c d Hickey 1996–1997, p. 5.
  29. ^ a b Hickey 1996–1997, pp. 12–13.
  30. ^ Hickey 1996–1997, p. 13.
  31. ^ Gournay 1993, p. 22.
  32. ^ Gournay 1993, p. xxvi.
  33. ^ James 1917, pp. 23–24.
  34. ^ Hickey 1996–1997, pp. 5, 8.

Sources

External links

Media related to Peachtree Arcade at Wikimedia Commons

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