CNN Center

Last updated

The Center
Atlanta-cnn-center-aerial.jpg
Aerial view of The Center with previous CNN signage
CNN Center
Former namesOmni Complex (1976–1987)
CNN Center (1987–2024)
General information
StatusCompleted
Address1 CNN Center
Atlanta, Georgia
30303
Coordinates 33°45′29″N84°23′41″W / 33.757934°N 84.394811°W / 33.757934; -84.394811
Current tenants List of stores and restaurants
Opened1976;48 years ago (1976)
OwnerCP Group
Design and construction
Architect(s) Tvsdesign
Developer Cousins Properties
Website
cpgcre.com/project/cnn-center/

The Center in Atlanta, Georgia, formerly and still commonly called CNN Center, is the former international headquarters of U.S. cable network CNN. The main newsrooms and studios for several of CNN's news channels were located in the building. The facility's commercial office space was occupied by various units of the former Turner Broadcasting System, now part of Warner Bros. Discovery. The Center is located in downtown Atlanta adjacent to Centennial Olympic Park.

Contents

In 2020, CNN announced that it would relocate its Atlanta operations back to the Turner Broadcasting Techwood campus in Midtown Atlanta. The One CNN Center office building was acquired by CP Group in 2021. [1] Production activities moved back in October 2023, while the last of CNN's domestic programs moved in February 2024.

On April 4, 2024, CP Group announced that CNN Center would be renovated, and was in the process of being rebranded as "The Center." [2]

History

1970s and 1980s

The building now occupied by the CNN Center opened in 1976 as the Omni Complex, a development by Cousins Properties. The Omni Coliseum, an NBA and NHL arena directly connected to the Omni Complex, had opened three years earlier, on October 14, 1972. The Omni Complex office building was largely vacant until CNN moved its headquarters there in 1987 from its Midtown Atlanta site (old home of the Progressive Club on 1050 Techwood Drive and home to Turner Broadcasting System). [3] The building was bought for $42 million in 1985. [4]

Over the years, the building had provided office space to various business tenants, as well as foreign consulates. The main floor featured an indoor ice rink, as well as a small number of restaurants and a Gold Mine video arcade. Sid and Marty Krofft built an indoor amusement park called The World of Sid and Marty Krofft, inspired by the creations of these popular children's television producers. Opened in 1976, it was the first indoor theme park in the United States, but it closed within six months. The complex also featured a multi-screen movie theater. For years, the theater offered daily showings of the 1939 film Gone with the Wind , which Ted Turner called "The greatest movie ever made". [5]

1990s

Interior view CNN Center interior.jpg
Interior view

On May 11, 1997, the Omni Coliseum closed. Its replacement, Philips Arena (now State Farm Arena), broke ground on June 5, 1997. The Omni Coliseum was imploded on July 26, 1997, with the CNN Center taking on minor exterior window damage due to its close distance to the Omni Coliseum. Because of this, the CNN Center was expected to be damaged. [6] Philips Arena opened on September 18, 1999.

2000s

On April 4, 2007, Arthur Mann, an employee at the Omni Hotel, shot and severely injured his ex-girlfriend Clara Riddles inside the CNN center. The adjacent CNN.com newsroom was evacuated shortly after the first shots were heard. Mann was confronted and shot by a Turner Security Officer, and both Riddles and Mann were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. Riddles later died of her injuries. An autopsy showed that Riddles was shot three times by Mann. The motive of the shooting is unknown. [7] [8]

On March 14, 2008, an EF-2 [9] tornado passed through downtown Atlanta, damaging the CNN Center and leaving water and dust in the upper floors. The ceiling of the atrium was also damaged, allowing water to pour in and partially flood the food court. CNN's library was damaged, although it was not immediately known how much of its archives were damaged. [10] Numerous injuries and widespread damage were reported overall. The Omni Hotel, attached to the CNN Center, was evacuated as a precaution, and more than 400 rooms had to be emptied of occupancy for two weeks.

2010s

CNN Center logo.png
Final logo as CNN Center

On June 13, 2014, a car crashed into the CNN Center, causing minor structural damage. [11] The driver claimed to have fallen asleep at the wheel, and was charged with driving under the influence (DUI) and possession of marijuana. [12]

Disinvestment from Omni Hotel

In 2016, the chief financial officer (CFO) Pascal Desroches of Turner said the company would divest its 50% stake in the center's Omni Hotel in favor of redeveloping its Techwood campus in Atlanta. This is where other Turner broadcast operations are based. [13]

2020s

On May 29, 2020, the CNN Center became the scene of rioting in response to the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, four days earlier, as the building also houses a Zone 5 police precinct for the Atlanta Police Department. Rioters graffitied the CNN logo in the front of the building and caused property damage to the building's entrance glass curtain wall and APD vehicles; the front lobby was damaged, though protesters never breached into the core common area of the building, with the logo sign repainted shortly thereafter. [14] [15]

On June 29, 2020, exactly a month after the incident, WarnerMedia announced plans to sell the CNN Center. Once sold, WarnerMedia will continue to lease their existing space for several years until the Techwood campus, previously occupied by CNN until 1987, is expanded to accommodate CNN's Atlanta operations. [16]

On November 21, 2020, a group of right-wing activists organized by the WalkAway campaign gathered in front of the CNN Center. In the 2020 presidential election, Joe Biden won the state's 16 electoral votes, the first Democrat to win the state since Bill Clinton in 1992. The protesters were inspired by claims of voter fraud. [17]

On January 11, 2023, it was reported that CNN would be leaving the CNN Center before the end of 2023. [18] CNN control room activities moved back to CNN's original Midtown Atlanta campus on October 30, 2023. Several weekend shows would continue to be based at CNN Center through the end of 2023. [19] On February 25, 2024, CNN Newsroom and CNN This Morning Weekend aired their final broadcasts from the CNN Center, and moved to Techwood the following week. [20]

On April 4, 2024, CP Group announced that CNN Center would be renovated and rebranded as "The Center." [2]

Features

CNN Atlanta Newsroom CNN Center office 201207.jpg
CNN Atlanta Newsroom
Inside CNN Studio Tour check-in CNN Checking Inn.jpg
Inside CNN Studio Tour check-in

The CNN Center also houses an Omni Hotel and features a large atrium food court frequented by local business employees, tourists, attendees at State Farm Arena, and Mercedes-Benz Stadium events, and conference attendees from the nearby Georgia World Congress Center.

CNN's multi-channel output to the world is broadcast on large screens around the center. Until 2020, studio tours were available and included demonstrations of technologies, such as Chroma key and teleprompters, as well as visits to viewing galleries overlooking the newsrooms and anchors of CNN International, HLN, CNN 10, and CNN en Español.

The atrium escalator used to transport visitors on the CNN tour has been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the "longest freestanding (supported only at the ends) escalator in the world"; it is 196 feet (60 m) long. [21] Built for the theme park that once occupied the building, it is part of the building's original structure, making it very hard to remove.

MARTA rail service is provided to the CNN Center at the GWCC/CNN Center station. Access to the Red and Gold lines may be gained by a ten-fifteen minute walk to Peachtree Center station.

List of tenants

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlanta</span> Capital city of Georgia, United States

Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, and a portion of the city extends into neighboring DeKalb County. With a population of 498,715 living within the city limits, Atlanta is the eighth most populous city in the Southeast and 38th most populous city in the United States according to the 2020 U.S. census. It is the core of the much larger Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to more than 6.3 million people, making it the sixth-largest U.S. metropolitan area. Situated among the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains at an elevation of just over 1,000 feet (300 m) above sea level, Atlanta features unique topography that includes rolling hills, lush greenery, and the densest urban tree coverage of any major city in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tower Square (Atlanta)</span> Building in Atlanta, GA

Tower Square is a 206.4 m (677 ft), 47-story skyscraper located in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia. Completed in 1982, it serves as the regional headquarters of BellSouth Telecommunications, which does business as AT&T Southeast, and was acquired as part of AT&T's acquisition of BellSouth. BellSouth Corporate headquarters was located in the Campanile building, also in Midtown. By 2020, AT&T had vacated its offices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgia State University</span> Public university in Atlanta, Georgia, US

Georgia State University is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1913, it is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities. It is also the largest institution of higher education by enrollment based in Georgia and one of the largest in the nation with a student enrollment of around 50,000, including approximately 33,000 undergraduate and graduate students at the main campus downtown.

Williams Street Productions, LLC, d/b/a Williams Street and formerly known as Ghost Planet Industries, is an American animation and live action television production studio owned by the Warner Bros. Television Studios division of Warner Bros., a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery. The studio is the in-house production arm of Adult Swim. Mike Lazzo and Keith Crofford oversaw operations for the building for most of its existence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State Farm Arena</span> Arena located in Atlanta, Georgia

State Farm Arena is a multi-purpose arena located in Atlanta, Georgia. The arena serves as the home venue for the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s Atlanta Hawks. It also served as home to the National Hockey League's Atlanta Thrashers from 1999 to 2011, before the team moved to Winnipeg, as well as the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)'s Atlanta Dream from 2008 to 2016 and 2019, and the temporary Home of the Georgia Tech Basketball in 2011. It opened in 1999 at a cost of $213.5 million, replacing the Omni Coliseum. It is owned by the Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority and operated by the Hawks, owned by Tony Ressler along with a group of investors including Grant Hill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McCamish Pavilion</span> Basketball arena in Atlanta, Georgia

Hank McCamish Pavilion, nicknamed The Thrillerdome and originally known as Alexander Memorial Coliseum, is an indoor arena located on the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia. It is the home of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball and Yellow Jackets women's basketball teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Omni Coliseum</span> Arena in Georgia, United States

Omni Coliseum was an indoor arena in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Completed in 1972, the arena seated 16,378 for basketball and 15,278 for hockey. It was part of the Omni Complex, now known as the CNN Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midtown Atlanta</span> Neighborhood in Fulton County, Georgia, United States

Midtown Atlanta, or Midtown, is a high-density commercial and residential neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia. The exact geographical extent of the area is ill-defined due to differing definitions used by the city, residents, and local business groups. However, the commercial core of the area is anchored by a series of high-rise office buildings, condominiums, hotels, and high-end retail along Peachtree Street between North Avenue and 17th Street. Midtown, situated between Downtown to the south and Buckhead to the north, is the second-largest business district in Metro Atlanta. In 2011, Midtown had a resident population of 41,681 and a business population of 81,418.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centennial Olympic Park</span> Public park in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Centennial Olympic Park is a 22-acre (89,000 m2) public park located in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, owned and operated by the Georgia World Congress Center Authority. It was built by the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG) as part of the infrastructure improvements for the 1996 Summer Olympics. It plays host to millions of visitors a year and several events, including a summer popular music concert series, the annual SweetWater 420 Fest and an annual Independence Day concert and fireworks display.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Home Park, Atlanta</span> Neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia, US

Home Park is a neighborhood of Atlanta in Georgia, US. It is bordered on the south by Georgia Tech, on the west by the railroad yards adjacent to Marietta Street and Brady Avenue, on the north by 16th Street at Atlantic Station, and on the east by Techwood Drive at I-75/85.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Cancer Society Center</span> Building in Atlanta, GA

The American Cancer Society Center is a large convention center and office building in downtown Atlanta, adjacent to Centennial Olympic Park. The building contains about 1,500,000 square feet (140,000 m2), including a partially underground parking garage and loading area. The building, originally called the Inforum Technology Center or Inforum, was designed by the prominent Atlanta architect John Portman, who previously designed the AmericasMart buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Atlanta</span> Central business district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Downtown Atlanta is the central business district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The largest of the city's three commercial districts, 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. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GWCC/CNN Center station</span> MARTA rail station

GWCC/CNN Center station is a rail station in Atlanta, Georgia, on the Blue and Green lines of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) rail system. Located on the western edge of Downtown Atlanta, the station officially opened on December 22, 1979. It was originally called Omni station due to its proximity to the Omni Coliseum, which was demolished to build Philips Arena. The station's name expanded in 1992 as Omni/Dome/World Congress Center with that year's opening of the Georgia Dome as well as the Georgia World Congress Center. By the year 2000, the station name had changed to Dome/GWCC/Philips Arena/CNN Center. In June 2019, MARTA held a town hall to gather community input on a new name for the station after the demolition of the Georgia Dome and the renaming of Philips Arena to State Farm Arena. The station was one of five MARTA rail stations that were under consideration for new names in 2019. The name of the station was changed to GWCC/CNN Center.

The World of Sid and Marty Krofft was an entirely indoor amusement park in Atlanta, Georgia. It was based on the various TV shows produced by the sibling duo Sid and Marty Krofft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Atlanta tornado outbreak</span> 2008 tornado outbreak in Atlanta

The 2008 Atlanta tornado outbreak was a destructive and deadly tornado outbreak that affected the Southeastern United States on March 14–15, 2008. The most infamous tornado of the outbreak occurred on March 14 when an isolated but strong EF2 tornado caused widespread damage across Downtown Atlanta, Georgia, including to the CNN Center and to the Georgia Dome, which was hosting the 2008 SEC men's basketball tournament. Other buildings that were damaged include the Georgia World Congress Center, Philips Arena during an Atlanta Hawks game, and the Omni Hotel, which was evacuated after many windows were blown out. The Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel suffered major window damage. The image of the building with all its windows blown out became famous and for a time was a symbol of the tornado. Centennial Olympic Park, SunTrust Plaza and historic Oakland Cemetery were also damaged.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hotel District</span> Neighborhood in Atlanta, United States

The Hotel District is a neighborhood in Downtown Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The district's name is derived from it being the home to many hotels, one of them being the famous Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel. The Hotel District is generally considered to be bounded by the Downtown Connector to the east, Five Points to the south, Centennial Olympic Park to the west, and Midtown to the north. The district's primary thoroughfare is Peachtree Street, which contains most of the restaurants, hotels, and office buildings. The intersection of Andrew Young International Boulevard and Peachtree Street forms the heart of the district.

Omni Hotels & Resorts is an American privately held, international hotel company based in Dallas, Texas. The company was founded in 1958 as Dunfey Hotels, and operates 50 properties in the United States, Canada, and formerly had a property in Mexico, totaling over 20,010 rooms and employing more than 23,000 people.

A total of twenty-nine sports venues were used for the 1996 Summer Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statue of Evander Holyfield</span> Statue in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.

The Evander Holyfield statue is a monumental statue of famed professional boxer Evander Holyfield, located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The statue was designed by sculptor Brian Hanlon and unveiled in front of State Farm Arena on June 25, 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Floyd protests in Atlanta</span> 2020 civil unrest after the murder of George Floyd

The George Floyd protests in Atlanta were a series of protests occurring in Atlanta, the capital and largest city of Georgia, United States. The protests were part of the George Floyd protests and, more broadly, the 2020–2021 United States racial unrest, which began shortly after the murder of George Floyd by police officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020. On May 26, protesting occurred in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area and, over the next several weeks, protests spread to cities throughout the United States and then internationally.

References

  1. ↑ "CP Group, Formerly Crocker Partners, Acquires One CNN Center In Downtown Atlanta, GA". CP Group. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Hansen, Zachary. "CNN Center is no more. Atlanta icon's new name is now 'The Center'". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ISSN   1539-7459 . Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  3. ↑ "1050 Techwood Drive". AtlantaTimeMachine. Archived from the original on September 16, 2012. Retrieved May 16, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Better than the CIA?". The Straits Times. January 12, 1992. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Turner Acquires 'Gone With the Wind'". The New York Times. August 14, 1987. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  6. ↑ Green, Josh (August 13, 2018). "Recapping Atlanta's 10 most dynamite implosions through the years". Curbed Atlanta. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Gunman kills woman at CNN Center". CNN.com. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Woman shot 3 times at CNN Center, autopsy shows". Edition.cnn.com. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Tornado trashes Atlanta". CNN.com. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Rescuers search for Atlanta tornado victims". CNN.com. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
  11. ↑ Eliott C. McLaughlin. "Car crashes through plate glass at CNN Center". CNN.com. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
  12. ↑ "Driver charged with DUI after crashing into CNN Center". WSBTV. June 13, 2014. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  13. ↑ Ariens, Chris (May 13, 2016). "Turner to Sell Stake in Part of Atlanta's CNN Center". Adweek. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  14. ↑ Alfonso III, Fernando (May 29, 2020). "CNN Center in Atlanta damaged during protests". CNN. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  15. ↑ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : "Violent George Floyd protests at CNN Center unfold live on TV". YouTube .
  16. ↑ "WarnerMedia selling CNN Center in downtown Atlanta". WSB-TV. June 29, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  17. ↑ "'CNN Sucks': Crowd Chants Outside Atlanta Headquarters Once Targeted by BLM Protesters". Newsweek. November 21, 2020. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  18. ↑ "CNN's Permanent Move From CNN Center to Techwood Campus Will Conclude This Year". Adweek. January 11, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Production officially ended at CNN Center in Atlanta Friday, moving to Midtown". Atlanta Journal Constitution. October 29, 2023. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
  20. ↑ "CNN's ATL-Based Programming Ends Use of CNN Center Studios". TVNewser. February 26, 2024. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
  21. ↑ "Atlanta, GA – World's Longest Freestanding Escalator". Roadsideamerica.com. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  22. ↑ "Atlanta Police Department Zone 5". www.atlantapd.org. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.