[atl2phx]

i'd rather see a 20 story museum dedicated to former atlanta nightlife.

1st floor: 688
2nd floor: backstreet
3rd floor: club anytime
4th floor: cobalt
5th floor: velvet room
6th floor: petrus

ugghhhh.....my home town is reeking from a bad combination of boredom, lack of creativity and narcissistic do-gooder's.

[cybele]

Well, it's not like he's taking precious space that other cultural attractions are fighting over. My thought is just to let things happen organically. Someday when we reach a critical mass something else will come in and take its place.

In the meantime, the pirate collection is interesting and probably something many museums would love to have. Maybe it will help contribute to some interesting exchanges. It does fit in with the Aquarium, and it will certainly drive additional foot traffic and add to the city's tax base.

[atl2phx]

Well, it's not like he's taking precious space that other cultural attractions are fighting over. My thought is just to let things happen organically. Someday when we reach a critical mass something else will come in and take its place.

In the meantime, the pirate collection is interesting and probably something many museums would love to have. Maybe it will help contribute to some interesting exchanges. It does fit in with the Aquarium, and it will certainly drive additional foot traffic and add to the city's tax base.

interesting? yes, in a myrtle beach kindof way.

i'd rather see these do-gooder's with dough do something in support of REAL art and/or culture in atlanta. again, this is about those with cash catering to their own narcissistic hunger.

someone should question the fundraising approach of the city's arts organizations, this guy should be low hanging fruit to donate to a new symphony hall, modern art museum, etc.... not to offend anyone unintentionally, but geez, their pitch must suck when you have all these guys wanting to build icons to themselves rather than fully supporting REAL organizations already in place and in need.

[ATLaffinity]

i wish somebody would go wacky-individualist in a good way like City Museum in St. Louis.

it's completely insane, non corporate and vaguely dangerous.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3460/3386665365_3609672165.jpg

http://www.citymuseum.org/home.asp

instead, we get something on par with the "Museum" of Patriotism.

[Alfred E Neuman]

Imagine Pirate World's attractions: Who won't want to see 'Somaliland' or Buccaneer 'Bill' Sherman's Drowning of Atlanta?

[smArTaLlone]

i'd rather see a 20 story museum dedicated to former atlanta nightlife.

1st floor: 688
2nd floor: backstreet
3rd floor: club anytime
4th floor: cobalt
5th floor: velvet room
6th floor: petrus

ugghhhh.....my home town is reeking from a bad combination of boredom, lack of creativity and narcissistic do-gooder's.

688?

[atl2phx]

688?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/91/688_Club_logo.jpg

688 spring.

an 80's alternative, new wave, punk club that was later known as weekends in the 90's.

i was a bit underage at the time, but i managed to catch black flag, the psychedelic furs, the violent femes and new order there among others. REM was a regular there along with ru-paul.

paul rudd wears a 688 t-shirt with the above logo in the movie clueless, i have no idea what the connection is on that one.

[smArTaLlone]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/91/688_Club_logo.jpg

688 spring.

an 80's alternative, new wave, punk club that was later known as weekends in the 90's.

i was a bit underage at the time, but i managed to catch black flag, the psychedelic furs, the violent femes and new order there among others. REM was a regular there along with ru-paul.

paul rudd wears a 688 t-shirt with the above logo in the movie clueless, i have no idea what the connection is on that one.

Sounds cool. It just odd that I've never heard of it!? :shrug:

[atl2phx]

Sounds cool. It just odd that I've never heard of it!? :shrug:

i'll be suprised if nobody else on the ATL forums remembers 688 but me.

you definitely had to be following new wave, punk or college radio in the 80's to know about 688. maybe the popular music today overwhelms any underground movement and limits an alternative club scene, so i can't even think of a similar place in atlanta today that serves that crowd with the exception of masquerade.

[TarHeelJ]

i'll be suprised if nobody else on the ATL forums remembers 688 but me.

you definitely had to be following new wave, punk or college radio in the 80's to know about 688. maybe the popular music today overwhelms any underground movement and limits an alternative club scene, so i can't even think of a similar place in atlanta today that serves that crowd with the exception of masquerade.

It was before my time...I don't remember it and had never heard of it. I do remember Weekends though.

[Terminus]

i'll be suprised if nobody else on the ATL forums remembers 688 but me.

you definitely had to be following new wave, punk or college radio in the 80's to know about 688. maybe the popular music today overwhelms any underground movement and limits an alternative club scene, so i can't even think of a similar place in atlanta today that serves that crowd with the exception of masquerade.

I remember it.

There's a place in East Atlanta on Flat Shoals (west side just north of Glenwood) that is selling 688 T-shirts for $5!

[atlantaguy]

i'll be suprised if nobody else on the ATL forums remembers 688 but me.

you definitely had to be following new wave, punk or college radio in the 80's to know about 688. maybe the popular music today overwhelms any underground movement and limits an alternative club scene, so i can't even think of a similar place in atlanta today that serves that crowd with the exception of masquerade.

I remember it too! Sounds like we may have been there at the same time for several shows. I even brought a group up from Gainesville, FL once when I lived there for a couple of years.:cheers:

I remember Weekends fondly as well. First time I ever saw RuPaul was there, dancing on top of a speaker with what must have been 10 inch platforms. The Bar on Peachtree next door was also one of my favorite hangouts at the time.

This whole block (Weekends/The Bar on Peachtree) was torn down for a very urban mall proposed by Hooker Barnes from Australia. It was proposed to be 4-5 levels, anchored by B. Altman & Bonwit Teller. Hooker Barnes went bankrupt, and the block sat vacant for years.

The Federal Reserve now occupies this space.

I'm getting old!

[cybele]

i'll be suprised if nobody else on the ATL forums remembers 688 but me.

Oh yeah, atl2phx! 688 was one of the the best places in town for punk and new wave during the 80s. Never went there much after it became Weekends, though.

[atl2phx]

Oh yeah, atl2phx! 688 was one of the the best places in town for punk and new wave during the 80s. Never went there much after it became Weekends, though.

oh yeah, bands used to have a real edge, not manufactured like much of todays popular stuff. it was cool when clubs like 688/weekends had that same edge.

oh the nights we started out at the beer mug in buchkead or the stein club on peachtree, kicked it up a notch at 688/weedends, hit backtreet at 4 or 5am and wound things down at the majestic diner on ponce.

at least the majestic is still kickin.....i was in town for CEDIA last month and a group of us ended up there at 4am. that place has had a pretty nice makover.....yet it retains it's gritty edge.

fyi.....we almost ended up at clermont lounge, but i just couldn't do it. :cool:

[smArTaLlone]

Atlanta Business Chronicle (http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2009/10/19/daily59.html)

Doraville’s City Council voted unanimously Monday to reject conceptual plans for a new football stadium for the Atlanta Falcons at the site of General Motors Co.’s vacated Doraville assembly plant.

The move follows a plan put forward by DeKalb County officials that would put a new stadium at the 165-acre site. City officials said a stadium at the site would not be in the city’s best interest.

“We just have a different vision in this particular instance of what the best vision is for Doraville and our neighboring communities,” the council said in a statement. “We have no doubts that both governments in partnership with the private sector will work together for a development that everyone can get excited about.”

Over the last five years, the city has planned for a mixed-use, transit-oriented development at the GM site. City officials hope to see a site anchored by industries such as life sciences or information technology. City leadership has also been actively lobbying for a charter middle/ high school that would focus on math, science and international studies.

“We need to spur this redevelopment, but we must do it in a way that is sustainable and consistent with our goals and planning,” the council said. “If we do it right this site will not only be an economic blessing for Doraville and the metro region but a catalyst for the city’s revitalization efforts. We are certain that our vision, rather than a stadium, will accomplish that.”

GM said Oct. 14 it has received no formal written offer from any parties interested in developing the site. Atlanta Business Chronicle has reported New Broad Street and The Sembler Co. are interested in the site, with Sembler proposing a stadium for the Falcons.

[Rail Claimore]

:previous: Good. I'd much rather see that area become an Atlanta equivalent to Houston's Greenway Plaza or TMC.

[(four 0 four)]

You know its a slow week when this is the main story on ABC.com:

Legoland plans to enter the Atlanta market, brick by tiny plastic brick.
The company that builds and operates Legoland theme parks is scouting four sites in metro Atlanta for its Legoland Discovery Center concept, described as an indoor attraction and Lego retail store, with hopes to open by spring 2011.

There are currently only three Legoland Discovery Centers in the world: Chicago, and Berlin and Duisburg, Germany.

Legoland’s United Kingdom-based parent company, Merlin Entertainments Group, is looking at sites in Alpharetta near North Point Mall, Atlantic Station in Midtown, the downtown area, and the Buckhead area near Phipps Plaza, said Howard Samuels, national real estate adviser for Legoland and president of Samuels & Co. Inc. in Los Angeles.

Merlin “is very interested in opening a Legoland Discovery Center in the Atlanta market,” he said. “We’re very fortunate there are several sites that will work.”

Samuels hopes to select a site in Atlanta by the end of the year.

While it may be premature to get too excited, there was also this news:
Atlanta’s largest law firm may spark construction of a new office tower next year in Midtown.

Alston & Bird LLP is considering proposals from several developers to leave its longtime home at One Atlantic Center and move into an up-to-30-story Midtown tower.

The proposals involve Atlanta’s biggest developers, including Cousins Properties Inc.

The developers could hear a decision from Alston & Bird within the next two to six months.

Alston & Bird might try to break ground on a new building in 2010.

“I think these sites are a lot further along than anyone thought,” said Ben Raney, of Raney Real Estate, who has been representing law firms in Atlanta for the past 25 years.

The courtship of Alston & Bird includes Shailendra Group LLC and financial partner Jamestown Properties, which have a site at 1400 Peachtree Street.

Cousins was brought into the partnership to co-develop the site. Cousins could provide the partnership greater access to capital, having raised nearly $333 million in a Sept. 21 stock offering.

Daniel Corp., the co-developer behind the giant 12th & Midtown project, is pitching at least two sites for Alston & Bird.

The first is a new tower at 70 17th Street, across from the Shailendra site.

The second is a site at 1125 Peachtree Street across from Manulife’s 1100 Peachtree tower, the current home of Kilpatrick Stockton LLP.

Pope & Land Enterprises Inc. is also pitching a Midtown site, according to sources familiar with the proposals.

The firm has been negotiating to buy the property planned for Trump Towers, a $500 million project that hasn’t gotten off the ground at West Peachtree and 15th streets.

Any of the new buildings would range from about 500,000 to 700,000 square feet.

[smArTaLlone]

Atlanta’s largest law firm may spark construction of a new office tower next year in Midtown.

Wow. With Cousins now a part of the deal, I would definitely give the edge to 1400 Peachtree if they decide to go for a new building.

[atl2phx]

re: alston & bird: wow, a bit of good news to look forward to.

re: legoland: atlantic station is a no brainer.

[cybele]

...The firm [Pope & Land, I guess?] has been negotiating to buy the property planned for Trump Towers, a $500 million project that hasn’t gotten off the ground at West Peachtree and 15th streets.

Does that mean the Trump Towers thing is permanently off?

I have always wondered if any of those big law firms will move back Downtown or if they are gone for good?

[(four 0 four)]

re: legoland: atlantic station is a no brainer.
If I had to guess, I'd say it'll land in the Alpharetta location. It seems like there are a lot more access to little tykes out there than around the intown neighborhoods.

Like the Chicago center, Atlanta’s Legoland will have a scale-model city skyline, Samuels said.
Lego model makers spend five to six months, using 250,000 to 300,000 Lego bricks, to recreate a skyline and build the Miniland, he said.

I'm looking forward to seeing the skyline done in Legos and suppose I'd drive to Alpha-waythehellout-retta if necessary.

[Terminus]

Does that mean the Trump Towers thing is permanently off?

I have always wondered if any of those big law firms will move back Downtown or if they are gone for good?

ABC also reported today that some law firm is vacating 60,000 sf at One Atlanta for 65,000 sf at 191 Peachtree. I'm not sure who, though.

[smArTaLlone]

If I had to guess, I'd say it'll land in the Alpharetta location. It seems like there are a lot more access to little tykes out there than around the intown neighborhoods.

I'm looking forward to seeing the skyline done in Logos and suppose I'd drive to Alpha-waythehellout-retta if necessary.

But when you have the tykes cycling through the aquarium by the bus load, thats not necessarily true.

The AJC article (http://www.ajc.com/business/legoland-scouting-atlanta-sites-171227.html) implies that a Madame Tussauds might be coming as well. There are so many "attractions" being planned that it makes me wonder if its too much.

[TarHeelJ]

But when you have the tykes cycling through the aquarium by the bus load, thats not necessarily true.

The AJC article (http://www.ajc.com/business/legoland-scouting-atlanta-sites-171227.html) implies that a Madame Tussauds might be coming as well. There are so many "attractions" being planned that it makes me wonder if its too much.

Now if we can just get Whac-A-Mole World, Skee Ball City, and The Museum of Cotton Candy we'll be all set.

[jpk1292000]

But when you have the tykes cycling through the aquarium by the bus load, thats not necessarily true.

The AJC article (http://www.ajc.com/business/legoland-scouting-atlanta-sites-171227.html) implies that a Madame Tussauds might be coming as well. There are so many "attractions" being planned that it makes me wonder if its too much.

Perhaps, but three or four years ago, many surveys revealed that a weakness that visitors, particularly conventioneers, perceived about Atlanta was that it didn't have enough "family friendly" attractions compared to places like Chicago or Orlando. If all of these things (Legoland, Pirate Museum, and to a lesser degree, the health museum and College Football Hall of Fame) get built, Atlanta's perceived weakness in this area will go away.

Certainly, some of these planned attractions don't appeal to me, but I'm all for them if they end up being successful and force an improvement of the real and perceived safety of downtown, and, in turn, lead to other, more interesting developments downtown.

On the other hand, if it was up to me, I'd rather see the money spent on a new world class arts center, but I think that the presence of these planned family-oriented attractions in town will generally be a plus for Atlanta.

[atl2phx]

speaking of museums......

really nice video of the civil and human rights museum.

cool interior/exterior flythroughs in CAD renderings.

i love this structure!

MSXZmD1lALQ

[micropundit]

^Great video, thanks for sharing! Now Atlanta needs to conduct a new design plan for the Centennial Park "Museum/Attraction area to ensure maximum pedetrian acces; security( I guess that is what the ajc story on "spy cameras" is all about; and, intergration of the attractions and the related commercial services that will be needed to supoort the projected visitors.
If they come, let's let them enjoy the total experience so much that they want return.The money in tourism is in the "comeback".

[citywalker]

I like this building and the completion of a nice open plaza feel with the Aquarium, World of Coke and Centennial Park. It seems like the ending focal point of the "entertainment" district" like a boundary, but I hope that all these other attractions and museums get built as part of other developments....I don't think it would suit Atlanta to just have a gigantic wide open space of one or two story museums flanking all sides of the park...it would be nice to see maybe a few hotel, office or apartment towers with these attractions built into the bottoms, sides or tops since it is in the middle of a dense downtown core. The attractions are great for the area but it needs density as well. In any case this is all great for intown!:banana: :cheers:

[smArTaLlone]

Perhaps, but three or four years ago, many surveys revealed that a weakness that visitors, particularly conventioneers, perceived about Atlanta was that it didn't have enough "family friendly" attractions compared to places like Chicago or Orlando. If all of these things (Legoland, Pirate Museum, and to a lesser degree, the health museum and College Football Hall of Fame) get built, Atlanta's perceived weakness in this area will go away.

Certainly, some of these planned attractions don't appeal to me, but I'm all for them if they end up being successful and force an improvement of the real and perceived safety of downtown, and, in turn, lead to other, more interesting developments downtown.

On the other hand, if it was up to me, I'd rather see the money spent on a new world class arts center, but I think that the presence of these planned family-oriented attractions in town will generally be a plus for Atlanta.

I agree with you. I just basically have the same concern as micropundit. I really hope all of these attractions can aid in the pedestrian improvements of the city rather than hurting it. With the attractions we have so far, the pedestrian or urban aspect of the developments has been questionable.

[smArTaLlone]

I like this building and the completion of a nice open plaza feel with the Aquarium, World of Coke and Centennial Park. It seems like the ending focal point of the "entertainment" district" like a boundary, but I hope that all these other attractions and museums get built as part of other developments....I don't think it would suit Atlanta to just have a gigantic wide open space of one or two story museums flanking all sides of the park...it would be nice to see maybe a few hotel, office or apartment towers with these attractions built into the bottoms, sides or tops since it is in the middle of a dense downtown core. The attractions are great for the area but it needs density as well. In any case this is all great for intown!:banana: :cheers:

I completely agree. Those lots bordering the park are prime real estate. I'd hate to see another whole block get used for attractions only.

[Fiorenza]

Wow, you guys are living in the past. The number of hi-rise buildings and condos to be constructed in Atlanta, much less downtown, over the next several years you can count on the fingers of one hand.

[smArTaLlone]

I don't think anyone is suggesting that towers are going to start popping up around the park next week. The point is that when those lots are developed, it will be much better if the development contains uses other than exclusively tourism. Otherwise those lots could be underutilized for decades and potentially impede the opportunity to develop the area as a place where people can live as opposed to merely a place to visit for a few hours.

[Fiorenza]

There are plenty of other choices for housing, shopping and offices in Atlanta. This particular area needs to be intensively developed and marketed for local and out-of-town tourist activities: conventions, business meetings, exhibits, sports venues, museums with family themes, and supporting activities such as restaurants and hotels.

[sunking1056]

There are plenty of other choices for housing, shopping and offices in Atlanta. This particular area needs to be intensively developed and marketed for local and out-of-town tourist activities: conventions, business meetings, exhibits, sports venues, museums with family themes, and supporting activities such as restaurants and hotels.

I hope to god the Fairlie-Poplar area doesn't get developed for tourists. There are so many lots that, if developed well, could create a truly urban neighborhood. I would hate for the city to miss out on this opportunity in order to give tourists more things to do.

[Fiorenza]

I'm not referring to Fairlie-Poplar. I'm referring to the Centennial Olympic Park environs. Actually, Fairlie-Poplar could stand to get a few tourists IMHO but that won't happen.

[sunking1056]

I'm not referring to Fairlie-Poplar. I'm referring to the Centennial Olympic Park environs. Actually, Fairlie-Poplar could stand to get a few tourists IMHO but that won't happen.

I know, but with the College Football HOF tourist development is starting to get very close to Fairlie-Poplar. The neighborhood holds a special place in my heart and I think it has the potential to be Atlanta's finest if done right. I can simply envision more touristy developments encroaching on it (after all one building is currently occupied by a cheesy-as-hell souvenir shop. I believe the name includes the word "Towne". Yes, with an "e".)

[smArTaLlone]

There are plenty of other choices for housing, shopping and offices in Atlanta. This particular area needs to be intensively developed and marketed for local and out-of-town tourist activities: conventions, business meetings, exhibits, sports venues, museums with family themes, and supporting activities such as restaurants and hotels.


I wasn't speaking specifically of housing. I was talking about livability , walk-ability. Ideally the park environs should be a place residents can enjoy visiting without ever going inside one these attractions. Otherwise we'll just be creating another single use zone thats dead when the tourists go home. Thats the way to build a mall, not a city.

Farlie-Poplar does border the park by the way.

[reet]

Ideally the park environs should be a place residents can enjoy visiting without ever going inside one these attractions. Otherwise we'll just be creating another single use zone thats dead when the tourists go home. Thats the way to build a mall, not a city.

This is a subject near and dear to me. I think that too large an area of downtown is devoted to non-residential development and that this is going to be harmful in the long term.

I think a strong residential presence downtown is essential for making it a vibrant, living district in the city. Residents have a type of investment in the quality of the area that others don't have. They know what it's like to walk the streets and experience downtown in a more comprehensive way that working commuters do. They know what improvements are needed so that the downtown area can be as good as it can be and have the drive to speak up about getting improvements accomplished.

Also, the kind of everyday, after-hours experiences downtown residents have is a better correlation to what tourists in the area experience than what commuting workers do. If downtown is too dirty, unwalkable, or too filled with vagrants for residents to enjoy it, that's a good sign that tourists are going to have a negative experience there too.

Every time I read about more tourist trade being promoted in the central downtown area I worry that there's just not going to end up being any room left (or any kind of appropriate environment) for increased residential development and the benefits it could provide downtown. I'm not suggesting transforming downtown into a mostly residential area. I understand it will be mostly commercial and that's for the best. I'm just suggesting employing some mixed-used sensibilities to make things a bit more even: strong commercial presence, strong tourist presence and strong residential presence all together. That's a winning formula that's been proven in many places.

[cybele]

I wasn't speaking specifically of housing. I was talking about livability , walk-ability. Ideally the park environs should be a place residents can enjoy visiting without ever going inside one these attractions. Otherwise we'll just be creating another single use zone thats dead when the tourists go home. Thats the way to build a mall, not a city.

Good points.

[citywalker]

I agree with reet's post. I think the more residents you get downtown the more empty retail will fill in, not with paul's popcorn or t'shirt vendors but maybe a cvs, publix etc that have to have more than just daytime workers and some nighttime tourists to survive. Residents make a difference in the look, safety and use of an area the things that downtown needs big time! I think a few smaller apartment towers with a museum in the bottom would be a great start.:P ;)

[cybele]

This project is looking pretty good.

Is it a condo or apartments?

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2673/4047658055_470993dcbc_o.jpg

[sunking1056]

This is a subject near and dear to me. I think that too large an area of downtown is devoted to non-residential development and that this is going to be harmful in the long term.

I think a strong residential presence downtown is essential for making it a vibrant, living district in the city. Residents have a type of investment in the quality of the area that others don't have. They know what it's like to walk the streets and experience downtown in a more comprehensive way that working commuters do. They know what improvements are needed so that the downtown area can be as good as it can be and have the drive to speak up about getting improvements accomplished.

Also, the kind of everyday, after-hours experiences downtown residents have is a better correlation to what tourists in the area experience than what commuting workers do. If downtown is too dirty, unwalkable, or too filled with vagrants for residents to enjoy it, that's a good sign that tourists are going to have a negative experience there too.

Every time I read about more tourist trade being promoted in the central downtown area I worry that there's just not going to end up being any room left (or any kind of appropriate environment) for increased residential development and the benefits it could provide downtown. I'm not suggesting transforming downtown into a mostly residential area. I understand it will be mostly commercial and that's for the best. I'm just suggesting employing some mixed-used sensibilities to make things a bit more even: strong commercial presence, strong tourist presence and strong residential presence all together. That's a winning formula that's been proven in many places.

Well said. Exactly how I feel.

[TarHeelJ]

I agree with reet's post. I think the more residents you get downtown the more empty retail will fill in, not with paul's popcorn or t'shirt vendors but maybe a cvs, publix etc that have to have more than just daytime workers and some nighttime tourists to survive. Residents make a difference in the look, safety and use of an area the things that downtown needs big time! I think a few smaller apartment towers with a museum in the bottom would be a great start.:P ;)

I agree with his post as well, but there are some facts to consider:

1. Downtown has a population of around 26,000...it's not like no one lives there.

2. There is a CVS on Broad Street in Fairlie-Poplar. There are a couple of others in areas considered part of Downtown...and there are dozens of smaller convenience stores located all across the area. There is still supposed to be a Publix at Allen Plaza, though I haven't heard much about it lately.

3. There are tons of residential buildings located in Downtown on Peachtree, Courtland, Piedmont, Marietta, Broad, and other streets...not to mention Castleberry Hill and Centennial Place.

Downtown could use more residents, of course, but it already has a decent number - especially when compared to other downtowns around the country.

[TarHeelJ]

This project is looking pretty good.

Is it a condo or apartments?


Where is this building?

[smArTaLlone]

This project is looking pretty good.

Is it a condo or apartments?


Apartments


Where is this building?

On Marietta Street near the intersection with Northside.

[TarHeelJ]

Apartments




On Marietta Street near the intersection with Northside.

I like it. :tup:

[Alfred E Neuman]

This is a subject near and dear to me. I think that too large an area of downtown is devoted to non-residential development and that this is going to be harmful in the long term.

I think a strong residential presence downtown is essential for making it a vibrant, living district in the city. Residents have a type of investment in the quality of the area that others don't have. They know what it's like to walk the streets and experience downtown in a more comprehensive way that working commuters do. They know what improvements are needed so that the downtown area can be as good as it can be and have the drive to speak up about getting improvements accomplished.

Also, the kind of everyday, after-hours experiences downtown residents have is a better correlation to what tourists in the area experience than what commuting workers do. If downtown is too dirty, unwalkable, or too filled with vagrants for residents to enjoy it, that's a good sign that tourists are going to have a negative experience there too.

Every time I read about more tourist trade being promoted in the central downtown area I worry that there's just not going to end up being any room left (or any kind of appropriate environment) for increased residential development and the benefits it could provide downtown. I'm not suggesting transforming downtown into a mostly residential area. I understand it will be mostly commercial and that's for the best. I'm just suggesting employing some mixed-used sensibilities to make things a bit more even: strong commercial presence, strong tourist presence and strong residential presence all together. That's a winning formula that's been proven in many places.

Allen Plaza, if and when developed, should go a long way in fulfilling the residential/commercial requirements of a vibrant neighborhood near the Park.

Also, my two cents say the C&H Rights Museum video portents a destination which will help define Atlanta to the world.

Lego of my ego!

[reet]

Allen Plaza, if and when developed, should go a long way in fulfilling the residential/commercial requirements of a vibrant neighborhood near the Park.

I hope you're right about that -- I do see some nice potential for this Allen Plaza area becoming a good, livable place for residents if some of the surface parking lots can be redeveloped as human-scale (meaning something other than tall, impersonal, gleaming skyscrapers) mixed-use buildings with residences.

I think the fact that the downtown Kroger closed several years ago due to lack of foot traffic to provide regular customers -- and that it hasn't been replaced by anything -- speaks for itself. There's currently not enough of a residential presence to support the existence of a basic grocery store in the central downtown area . Not even a small one. That's not healthy for a neighborhood.

The CVS at Five Points is good to have around, but it's no grocery store. The Sweet Auburn Curb Market is also cool to have, but it's several blocks away from central downtown and has no nightime hours for residents to do shopping after they've returned from day jobs.

[micropundit]

I hope you're right about that -- I do see some nice potential for this Allen Plaza area becoming a good, livable place for residents if some of the surface parking lots can be redeveloped as human-scale (meaning something other than tall, impersonal, gleaming skyscrapers) mixed-use buildings with residences.

I think the fact that the downtown Kroger closed several years ago due to lack of foot traffic to provide regular customers -- and that it hasn't been replaced by anything -- speaks for itself. There's currently not enough of a residential presence to support the existence of a basic grocery store in the central downtown area . Not even a small one. That's not healthy for a neighborhood.

The CVS at Five Points is good to have around, but it's no grocery store. The Sweet Auburn Curb Market is also cool to have, but it's several blocks away from central downtown and has no nightime hours for residents to do shopping after they've returned from day jobs.


There are now two small markets/grocery stores downtown: Dania's Gourmet at Peach and Marietta and the just opened Parish Market and Cajun spot on Luckie, near Ted's.

[jurban8]

Where was this downtown Kroger?

[reet]

There are now two small markets/grocery stores downtown: Dania's Gourmet at Peach and Marietta and the just opened Parish Market and Cajun spot on Luckie, near Ted's.

Both Dania's and Parish Market Cajun Kitchen (which is very pretty , BTW, for anyone who hasn't seen it) are primarily restaurants that have a small selection of gourmet products and prepared foods you can purchase. Correct me if I'm wrong about Dania's. I know they expanded their hours recently -- until 8pm, I think -- and they may have expanded their selection of products since I've been there.

Both places are very nice parts of the downtown collection of restaurants but neither is a grocery store.

Jurban8: the departed downtown Kroger -- it closed in 2005 and it was located west of City Hall. I'm having a brain lapse on the exact location. I think it was on Central Avenue. It was pretty sad to see that go only two years after the downtown Macy's on Peachtree closed. Kinda depressin'.

[atl2phx]

The Sweet Auburn Curb Market is also cool to have, but it's several blocks away from central downtown and has no nightime hours for residents to do shopping after they've returned from day jobs.

love SACM.

if you haven't been yet, and you're particularly fond of good burgers, the grind house rocks a burger like no other in atlanta. :)

[trainiac]

love SACM.

if you haven't been yet, and you're particularly fond of good burgers, the grind house rocks a burger like no other in atlanta. :)

If you're into architecture, it's a really interesting 1920's structure. Hard to believe it survived! It used to be the Municipal Market -- like a smaller version of the Forest Park farmers market.

[TarHeelJ]

Both Dania's and Parish Market Cajun Kitchen (which is very pretty , BTW, for anyone who hasn't seen it) are primarily restaurants that have a small selection of gourmet products and prepared foods you can purchase. Correct me if I'm wrong about Dania's. I know they expanded their hours recently -- until 8pm, I think -- and they may have expanded their selection of products since I've been there.

Both places are very nice parts of the downtown collection of restaurants but neither is a grocery store.

Jurban8: the departed downtown Kroger -- it closed in 2005 and it was located west of City Hall. I'm having a brain lapse on the exact location. I think it was on Central Avenue. It was pretty sad to see that go only two years after the downtown Macy's on Peachtree closed. Kinda depressin'.


The Kroger was located on one side of the City Plaza Apartments near the Capitol on Trinity Avenue. It wasn't really near the residential areas of Downtown, other than City Plaza. I'm thinking it closed long before 2005...as I remember, it wasn't there when I went to Georgia State from '97-'99.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/55/142414200_7b788bb126_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kuzquiano/142414200/sizes/l/

[TarHeelJ]

I hope you're right about that -- I do see some nice potential for this Allen Plaza area becoming a good, livable place for residents if some of the surface parking lots can be redeveloped as human-scale (meaning something other than tall, impersonal, gleaming skyscrapers) mixed-use buildings with residences.

I think the fact that the downtown Kroger closed several years ago due to lack of foot traffic to provide regular customers -- and that it hasn't been replaced by anything -- speaks for itself. There's currently not enough of a residential presence to support the existence of a basic grocery store in the central downtown area . Not even a small one. That's not healthy for a neighborhood.

The CVS at Five Points is good to have around, but it's no grocery store. The Sweet Auburn Curb Market is also cool to have, but it's several blocks away from central downtown and has no nightime hours for residents to do shopping after they've returned from day jobs.

The Downtown Kroger was just in the wrong spot...it opened prior to the residential developments around Centennial Park - which is where a grocery store would do very well. It seems like 26,000 residents could easily support one grocery store? There are many residential buildings in the central Downtown area, with many residents living in them. :)

Of course a CVS is not a grocery store - no one made such a claim. The CVS comment was in response to your statement that it would be nice to have a CVS in the Downtown area.

There is a Publix and Walgreens on the northern edge of Downtown at Piedmont and North Avenues. Granted, that isn't the very center of Downtown, but it IS in the 4 square mile defined area that makes up Downtown Atlanta. I'm sure it's where most Downtown residents do their grocery shopping. There is also a Publix on Martin Luther King Drive just west of Northside Drive, near the Dome.

[Terminus]

The Downtown Kroger was just in the wrong spot...it opened prior to the residential developments around Centennial Park - which is where a grocery store would do very well. It seems like 26,000 residents could easily support one grocery store? There are many residential buildings in the central Downtown area, with many residents living in them. :)


Below is a map I made of our neighborhood shopping options.

Regarding the Kroger, I worked across the street and walked by on my way to and from work, but I seldom went there. It was just too small and dowdy - even when it first opened in 1996. I think most of my neighbors agreed that it was just not worth the effort to walk 10 minutes over there when they probably wouldn't have what you wanted anyway.

I really wish an ALDI would go in the space. I'd LOVE one intown.

http://www.atlantadna.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/adnagroc2008_sm1.jpg

[jddar]

It's too bad the former Macy's ground floor couldn't be transformed into something like San Francisco's Ferry Building, a foodie's utopia.

I shop often at the Publix at Piedmont and North. In fact, I shop at that Publix more often than the one on Ponce near N. Highland which is only a couple of blocks from where I live. I like the smaller store format at Piedmont. It is easier to find things, takes less time to shop, much easier to exit the parking and it is on my driving route more often.

[TarHeelJ]

It's too bad the former Macy's ground floor couldn't be transformed into something like San Francisco's Ferry Building, a foodie's utopia.

I shop often at the Publix at Piedmont and North. In fact, I shop at that Publix more often than the one on Ponce near N. Highland which is only a couple of blocks from where I live. I like the smaller store format at Piedmont. It is easier to find things, takes less time to shop, much easier to exit the parking and it is on my driving route more often.


Free Tip: I always exit that Publix on the side street, not directly onto Ponce. It's much easier. :yes:

But I use the Piedmont location more often for some reason...

[reet]

Below is a map I made of our neighborhood shopping options.

Regarding the Kroger, I worked across the street and walked by on my way to and from work, but I seldom went there. It was just too small and dowdy - even when it first opened in 1996. I think most of my neighbors agreed that it was just not worth the effort to walk 10 minutes over there when they probably wouldn't have what you wanted anyway.

I really wish an ALDI would go in the space. I'd LOVE one intown.


Cool map. That Publix on W. Peactree is very close to the Midtown MARTA station, so that's not a bad trip for people who live downtown near a North/South-line station. And it's a really good store, too.

How cool it would be to have that Proposed Publix on Ivan Allen be a reality. I agree -- an ALDI would be a perfect compact store to have in the urban downtown area.

[smArTaLlone]

By Leon Stafford
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (http://www.ajc.com/news/officials-hire-firm-to-175595.html)

The Georgia World Congress Center Authority, the state organization that oversees the football arena, agreed Tuesday to pay Kansas City-based Populous architects $145,000 to propose a master plan for the Dome. The company's conclusions could be available as early as early spring.

Dan Graveline, executive director of the Georgia World Congress Center, told authority board members Tuesday that the Populous study would look at the merits of renovating the current Dome or building a new stadium.

Populous has already looked at the Dome's future in an overall master plan study it conducted for the GWCCA last year that weighed the entire campus, including the construction of a new wing for the convention center.

But this study would focus more intently on the Dome to give the authority and the Falcons a more complete look at the building's tangibles. It will take into consideration building a new dome, an open-air arena or having a retractable roof. It also will look at the cost of gutting the current building and starting over.

[galaca]

anyone know the name of these?



http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2673/4047658055_470993dcbc_o.jpg

[cabasse]

935 Marietta. I'd love to move into them myself, in the next year or so.

[jurban8]

I know we've discussed it before but I can't find it anywhere. Does anyone have info about the mystery building that's been under construction forever between 12th and 11th on Piedmont? It's on the eastern side of the street, and I assume they were started as condos.

[smArTaLlone]

by Doug Sams

Cousins Properties Inc. says it's seeing some encouraging signs at its 10 Terminus Place condo project in Buckhead. The Atlanta developer said it closed four units during the third quarter, and an additional seven units in October. It has another 14 under contract and five pending contracts. Cousins detailed the progress at 10 Terminus during a conference call with investors November 5.

The condo tower is one of three buildings at the giant mixed-use Terminus project that rises at the corner of Piedmont and Peachtree roads. Ten Terminus Place has 137 units.
Cousins thinks 10 Terminus should get another boost after selling more units, pushing occupancy to the point where lenders might make it easier for potential buyers to get financing.

Cousins wants 10 Terminus at 51 percent closed or under contract by the end of 2009. Reaching that goal would be significant, considering Cousins had just 15 units closed at the end of June.
Earlier this year, Cousins took a nearly $35 million write-down on the condo tower.

Cousins has been aggressive in trying to boost sales at 10 Terminus.
It launched a buyer-incentive program that guaranteed the value of the condos — which average between $600,000 and $800,000 — for the first three years and allowed buyers to walk away during that same time with no damage to their credit.

[smArTaLlone]

I know we've discussed it before but I can't find it anywhere. Does anyone have info about the mystery building that's been under construction forever between 12th and 11th on Piedmont? It's on the eastern side of the street, and I assume they were started as condos.

It was called Park & 12th. I thought there was a website for it at one time but I can find nothing on it.

[galaca]

935 Marietta. I'd love to move into them myself, in the next year or so.

thanks!

[micropundit]

Atlanta Business Chronicle


Westec Intelligent Surveillance will put its national sales headquarters in Atlanta.

Dallas-based Westec said it plans to add to its sales teams and leased office space at the Concourse Corporate campus in Atlanta’s Central Perimeter area.

“Atlanta offers us an excellent talent pool as we look to expand our team of sales professionals, and the area provides exceptional infrastructure supporting the growth of a retail and hospitality focused organization,” said Charles Moeling, the company’s newly named chief marketing officer.

Westec Intelligent Surveillance is the nation’s largest remote video monitoring company. Its clients include McDonald’s, Burger King, Waffle House, La Quinta, EZ Mart and Zales.

[bigcitydude]

The Kroger was located on one side of the City Plaza Apartments near the Capitol on Trinity Avenue. It wasn't really near the residential areas of Downtown, other than City Plaza. I'm thinking it closed long before 2005...as I remember, it wasn't there when I went to Georgia State from '97-'99.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/55/142414200_7b788bb126_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kuzquiano/142414200/sizes/l/

what do you think a condo in that building would go for, 1 and 2 bedroom? :tup:

[TarHeelJ]

what do you think a condo in that building would go for, 1 and 2 bedroom? :tup:

As far as I know they are rentals only...but I could be wrong. :)

http://www.cityplazaatlanta.com/

[bigcitydude]

well, if it is a rental, they made the complex look very nice! i never lived in anything like that when i was renting. :cheers:

[Orlando]

Does anyone know where I can find old maps or aerial images of Atlanta? In particular, I am looking for the area where the 17th street bridge and Atlantic Station is. I am looking for maps/photos of the area before the freeways tore apart that part of Atlanta. If you know of anything, please message me. Thanks.

[joecool]

Does anyone know where I can find old maps or aerial images of Atlanta? In particular, I am looking for the area where the 17th street bridge and Atlantic Station is. I am looking for maps/photos of the area before the freeways tore apart that part of Atlanta. If you know of anything, please message me. Thanks.

http://www.epa.gov/region4/opm/nepa/images/lg_atlantic_steel_mill.jpg

[TarHeelJ]

well, if it is a rental, they made the complex look very nice! i never lived in anything like that when i was renting. :cheers:

...and it's <gasp> Downtown!

[jurban8]

Does anyone know where I can find old maps or aerial images of Atlanta? In particular, I am looking for the area where the 17th street bridge and Atlantic Station is. I am looking for maps/photos of the area before the freeways tore apart that part of Atlanta. If you know of anything, please message me. Thanks.


http://www.library.gsu.edu/spcoll/pages/pages.asp?ldID=105&guideID=552&ID=3961

www.atlantatimemachine.com

[trainiac]

http://www.epa.gov/region4/opm/nepa/images/lg_atlantic_steel_mill.jpg

Hey, I don't think I've ever seen that shot before. Looking east, right? What is that rather large building far out on the same line as 16th St? Must be one of the old apartment buildings along Peachtree but it looks like it's 10 stories at least.

Thanks for posting this!

[cybele]

If you want ultra detailed images, go here:

http://www.library.gsu.edu/maps/aerialatlas1949/html/large/asa039L.jpg

and here:

http://www.library.gsu.edu/maps/aerialatlas1949/html/large/asa059L.jpg

These are really gigantic images (4412 x 2471) so make sure you're browser is set to display them full size. They're from 1949.

[jurban8]

Saw a sign for medical space going up at the corner of Ponce and Monroe where the abandoned bank is. Thank god that POS eyesore is going away!

[bigcitydude]

...and it's <gasp> Downtown!

i have liked the look of downtown Atlanta for a long time now. :tup:

(anyone have a few recent photos of downtown handy?) :)

[Alfred E Neuman]

The crown of 1175 P'tree is lit. And it's powerful. Wonder how it looks from the windows of residents in the neighborhood?

The window change out at the Westin is beginning to peek through. The tint seems to be in wonderful harmony with 191 and the overall palette of the downtown skyline.

[(four 0 four)]

According to today's online ABC, a company has signed a 30,000sf lease at Centennial Tower on Marietta Blvd in downtown bringing the building to almost 90% occupied.

The activity is also giving owners Jackson Oats Shaw Corporate Real Estate the confidence to begin marketing the site for a new building next to Centennial Tower.
Jackson Oats Shaw will begin marketing Centennial Tower II in 2010, a build-to-suit 28-story building that would be located adjacent to Centennial Tower.

The firm said it will move forward with the marketing because of the recent deals, high occupancy within Centennial Tower and steady absorption in downtown the past three years.

The 1-acre site for the new tower is home to a seven-story parking deck used as additional parking for Centennial Tower and nearby hotels.

The site is zoned for 28-story building and is owned in partnership with Regal Pavilion LLC and Cone Street Properties LLC

Whether this happens during any of our lifetimes remains to be seen but it is something!

[Snakebit]

According to today's online ABC, a company has signed a 30,000sf lease at Centennial Tower on Marietta Blvd in downtown bringing the building to almost 90% occupied.


Whether this happens during any of our lifetimes remains to be seen but it is something!

Could definitely see this happening, I worked in Centennial Tower and know that they are a no nonsense kind of property management company.

[mayhem]

I remember a report about a year ago, or more, when the company who owns Centennial Tower bought the parking lot. They mentioned the possibility of building a twin tower on top of the parking deck's footprint. Can anyone find that article? I can't seem to pull it up.

[smArTaLlone]

Atlanta Business Chronicle (http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2009/12/14/story3.html?b=1260766800^2571691)


A potential 100-acre development in downtown Atlanta could become a biosciences corridor and a key component of Georgia’s “Innovation Crescent.”

Atlanta’s economic development agency will commission a feasibility study for the project — located between Georgia Tech and the Georgia World Congress Center — that could generate thousands of high-tech jobs and gentrify the neighborhoods of English Avenue and Vine City.

The project, an expansion of the 11-acre Technology Enterprise Park near Georgia Tech, could also attract renewable energy, defense, electronics and communications companies.

The redevelopment is an attempt to turn “brownfields into high-tech greenfields,” said David Hartnett, vice president of bioscience and technology for the Metro Atlanta Chamber. Bioscience and technology are key areas of focus for the state, which is marketing a dozen counties surrounding Atlanta as the “Innovation Crescent.”

One of the biggest headaches with developing mega-projects involves acquiring land from multiple owners.

In this case, however, the 100 acres are owned by a handful of landowners, many of whom are public entities, such as the Atlanta Housing Authority and Georgia World Congress Center.

The redevelopment is also an attempt at boosting the city’s lackluster inventory of biosciences-suited real estate, a fact that was underscored when Atlanta economic development officials pitched the city to a Boston-area biotech.

Article (http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2009/12/14/story3.html?b=1260766800^2571691&page=2)

[micropundit]

3:37 pm EST December 14, 2009



ATLANTA -- New York City has Times Square. New Orleans is known for the French Quarter, and in San Francisco, camera-toting tourists flock to Fisherman's Wharf.

Now, city leaders in Atlanta hope to add Centennial Olympic Park — and the growing roster of museums dotting it — to the list of popular urban tourism corridors.

The downtown district, once home to rundown buildings and dark streets, was transformed in the mid-1990s into the town square for the 1996 Olympic Games. Now the 21-acre park is bordered by the world's largest aquarium, the international headquarters for CNN, the World of Coca-Cola, a children's museum and the National Museum of Patriotism.

In the next five years, three new museums will open around the park — the Center for Civil and Human Rights, the National Health Museum and the National College Football Hall of Fame (which is moving from its current location in South Bend, Ind.). And the Georgia Aquarium will premiere its $100 million dolphin wing.

Meanwhile, a private investor is considering opening a pirate museum on the park, capitalizing on a surge in the popularity of swashbuckling culture thanks to Disney's ubiquitous "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie franchise.

"It is really spectacular," said William Pate, president of the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau. "Whether you're coming for college football or with kids or just with your spouse to relax, we've really got this wonderful compact set of assets at the park that really gives you a starting point."

With the museums have come other improvements to the district: restaurants like Boston's famous Legal Seafood, nearly 15,000 hotel rooms within walking distance and the disappearance of the seedy strip joints that once ruled the area.

Want to visit the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library or the King Center? How about the Wren's Nest, the historical home of Uncle Remus author Joel Chandler Harris, or the Margaret Mitchell House? All are just a short train ride from the park.

On a recent warm afternoon, Michelle Marbry, 23, and Tammy Loudermilk, 39, took photos by the Olympic ring fountain at Centennial Olympic Park. They had just arrived an hour earlier from Charlotte, N.C., for a conference in downtown Atlanta.

"It's beautiful," Loudermilk said. "There's such an advantage that you can come to one place and it's all right there."

Nearby, Amanda McGovern and her family stared at sharks and touched sting rays at the Georgia Aquarium. The family traveled the 215 miles from Hendersonville, N.C., for an overnight trip and a visit to the aquarium downtown.

McGovern's two children — 2-year-old Destiny and 3-year-old Reagan — were looking forward to exploring one of the playgrounds at Centennial Olympic Park before the family headed back home.

"We're only in town for a day, so when we finish, we don't have to go all the way across town or get on transit," McGovern said, looking at the museums around the park.

Much of the most recent evolution started in 2001 when Home Depot co-founder and philanthropist Bernie Marcus announced he wanted to build the world's largest fish tank in Atlanta. He envisioned creating a district like Harbor Town in Baltimore, which began with the National Aquarium.

Since the aquarium opened in 2005, it has brought in nearly 11 million visitors and spurred up to $4 billion in construction downtown.

"We'll end up one day where tourism will be synonymous with the city of Atlanta," Marcus said in a recent telephone interview. "We have a lot going for us here."

[ATLaffinity]

^ "Museum" of Patriotism and Pirate World ought to put us on the cultural map.

[sabino86]

I hope they can add a new Centennial Tower, that would be HUGE

[echinatl]

^ "Museum" of Patriotism and Pirate World ought to put us on the cultural map.

Pirate museum idea has actually been growing on me and I guess you could say I like it a lot now. Pirates are awesome! I would definitely go if they did it right, and what kid doesn't like pirates? Could be a really big draw to the area and it's using an existing building that is empty.

And a second Centennial Tower would be awesome. I used to run the stairs there until they re painted the stairwell and I almost past out because of the fumes. But the building is awesome on the inside and outside and looks like a giant envelope.

[chubbydecker]

^ "Museum" of Patriotism and Pirate World ought to put us on the cultural map.

I'm still holding out for a museum dedicated to great Jewish sports legends!

[LouisianaCharm]

***Waiting on the cheerleader museum to open***

[LouisianaCharm]

I cant see how a pirate and college football museum can be compared to time square, fisherman's wharf, and the french quarter.

[Uptowngirl]

It can't.

Its more on par with the Ogden, the CAC and the WWII museum in New Orleans in the Arts and Warehouse District.

If Atlanta is to have an entertainment district like the Quarter...Buckhead is dead, and Peachetree in Midtown is where it will be (but they need to loosen the hours of the bars being able to serve)

[atl2phx]

It can't.

Its more on par with the Ogden, the CAC and the WWII museum in New Orleans in the Arts and Warehouse District.

If Atlanta is to have an entertainment district like the Quarter...Buckhead is dead, and Peachetree in Midtown is where it will be (but they need to loosen the hours of the bars being able to serve)

and it doesn't want to.

you're missing the point....i don't think the writer is claiming COP will carry the character and attributes of the wharf, times square or the french quarter.

the comparison was relevant to potential numbers of visitors drawn to a COP as a gathering spot based on attractions, the comparison was not considering the character of attractions, dining establishments and least of all pouring paramaters.

[L41A]

I cant see how a pirate and college football museum can be compared to time square, fisherman's wharf, and the french quarter.

I know you are being sarcastic if not even sour, but you forgot to mention the Center for Civil and Human Rights, the National Health Museum, the Georgia Aquarium, CNN, etc. The essence of the author's view for the comparison was the hope of the civic leaders that the area could be become an identifying tourist destination for Atlanta like those mentioned for those other cities.

However, I do feel a more aspiring comparison would be to the Washington Mall in DC more so than any that was mentioned. I also wish for less cheesy (for lack of better word) - more historical and educational attractions. I would like a museum dealing with Transportation since Transportation is what the city was found, flourished and flourishes plus the interesting Railroad Gulch is nearby. I would prefer the area to progress more like the Mall on Washington than say the French Quarter.

[smArTaLlone]

Gaming giant Electronic Arts Inc. is scouting metro Atlanta for a development center that, according to one estimate, could employ up to 300 people.

The Redwood City, Calif.-based video game publisher (Nasdaq: ERTS) is considering Georgia for a multimillion-dollar investment, according to a source familiar with the details.

“Discussions are really active,” the source said.

EA spokesman Jeff Brown confirmed the company is considering the Peach State, in addition to Louisiana and Florida, as it seeks to relocate work from high-cost areas like California. Texas had also been in contention, but was dropped.

Brown declined to speculate on employment and investment details, the Georgia sites being looked at, or when a decision might be made.

Article (http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2009/12/21/story1.html?b=1261371600^2609001)

[ATLaffinity]

EA would be a great grab.

I assume Tech and SCAD could supply some grads.

I just hope "metro Atlanta" doesn't mean Norcross :cool:

[Rail Claimore]

I know one Tech student who did an internship with EA a few years back. It would be funny to see him work for his former employer in his home town.

[smArTaLlone]

Don't know if this is the design for the proposal but I stumbled upon these images that are labeled 1400 Peachtree.

http://www.spine3d.com/hks3d/gallery/1400%20Peachtree/1400-Peachtree-03.jpg

http://www.spine3d.com/hks3d/gallery/1400%20Peachtree/1400-Peachtree-01.jpg

http://www.spine3d.com/hks3d/gallery/1400%20Peachtree/1400-Peachtree-02.jpg

[atl2phx]

:previous: wow, that looks pretty nice....not sure if it's cause it been so long since we've seen any new renderings, but initially i think it's cool.

from what i recall of the 1400 discussions last year, the design was to come out of SOM with attributes reminiscent of superman's crystal fortress....sounded intriguing at the time....i can kindof see it.

with 1180 just down the street, the curtain wall rising above the top floor on this tower isn't as 'wow' as it could be, but i suppose that's where the reference to the crystal fortress comes from.

[micropundit]

^ These renderings may be from one of the submitting firms but not from SOM, the winners of the competition.

[smArTaLlone]

Probably so. I just noticed that the URL includes the letters HKS which is a firm out of Dallas.