Architecture of Atlanta

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Modern glass structures on Peachtree Street Peachtree St Atlanta.jpg
Modern glass structures on Peachtree Street
In Midtown, the windows of a 1990s-era post-modern structure reflect a classical-style building Midtown Reflection Atlanta.jpg
In Midtown, the windows of a 1990s-era post-modern structure reflect a classical-style building

The architecture of Atlanta is marked by a confluence of classical, modernist, post-modernist, and contemporary architectural styles. Due to the Battle of Atlanta and the subsequent fire in 1864, the city's architecture retains almost no traces of its Antebellum past. Instead, Atlanta's status as a largely post-modern American city is reflected in its architecture, as the city has often been the earliest, if not the first, to showcase new architectural concepts. [1] However, Atlanta's embrace of modernism has translated into an ambivalence toward architectural preservation, resulting in the destruction of architectural masterpieces, including the Commercial-style Equitable Building (Atlanta's first skyscraper), the Beaux-Arts style Terminal Station, and the Classical Carnegie Library. The city's cultural icon, the Neo-Moorish Fox Theatre, would have met the same fate had it not been for a grassroots effort to save it in the mid-1970s. [2]

Contents

History

The 1853 Union Station shortly before Union troops destroyed it in 1864 LastTrainAtlantaDepot1864crop2.jpg
The 1853 Union Station shortly before Union troops destroyed it in 1864

Antebellum

Because Atlanta was a settlement that grew from a planned railroad terminus and later a railroad junction, rather than being planned in a grand manner, its antebellum architecture was unremarkable compared to patrician Savannah or other older Southern cities. The town's most important buildings included Edward A. Vincent's Union Station (1853), the Atlanta, Trout House and Washington Hall hotels, and the Atlanta Bank. An 1859 industrial journal noted that: [3]

19 commodious brick stores were erected in 1858…besides a large number of fine residences, mostly of brick. Many of the new improvements are imposing structures, and would not suffer by comparison with the most elegant portions of our modern cities.

Hotel architecture, 1916 Atlanta hotels 1917.JPG
Hotel architecture, 1916

Not a single antebellum building from what was the town of Atlanta remains today. Remaining antebellum architecture inside the city limits consists of four houses that were well outside the city limits in the 19th century, as well as the Tullie Smith House which was moved to the Atlanta History Center from a location in North Druid Hills, an adjacent suburb. [4] The oldest building in Downtown Atlanta is the Georgia Railroad Freight Depot (1869).

Postbellum

Victorian architecture in Inman Park House Inman Park 4.jpg
Victorian architecture in Inman Park
High Museum of Art (1983), designed by Richard Meier High Museum of Art in Atlanta.jpg
High Museum of Art (1983), designed by Richard Meier

Most of Atlanta was burned during the Civil War, depleting the city of a large stock of its historic architecture. Yet Atlanta, architecturally, had never been particularly "southern." Because Atlanta originated as a railroad town, rather than a patrician southern seaport like Savannah or Charleston, many of the city's landmarks could have easily been erected in the Northeast or Midwest, [2] and indeed this was one reason why Atlanta referred to itself frequently as "the New York" or "the Chicago of the South." [5] [6] [7] [8]

Throughout the American Renaissance and beyond, Atlantans were amazed at successive waves of ever more impressive hotels, civic and industrial architecture, and office buildings, such as the Equitable Building (8 stories, 1892), Candler Building (17 stories, 1906), and Rhodes-Haverty Building (21 stories, 1929). Among the most notable architects active in Atlanta between the Civil War and World War Two were A. Ten Eyck Brown, Francis Palmer Smith and G. Lloyd Preacher.

Cold War Era

The classical Millennium Gate (2008) Millennium Gate, Atlanta, USA.jpg
The classical Millennium Gate (2008)

During the Cold War era, Atlanta followed global modernist trends, especially with regards to office towers and commercial buildings. Examples of modernist architecture include the Westin Peachtree Plaza (1976), Georgia-Pacific Tower (1982), the State of Georgia Building (1966), and the Atlanta Marriott Marquis (1985).

The era's most notable architect may be Atlanta-native John Portman, whose Hyatt Regency Hotel (1968) made a significant mark on the hospitality sector. A graduate of Georgia Tech's College of Architecture, Portman's work reshaped downtown Atlanta with his designs for the Atlanta Merchandise Mart, Peachtree Center, the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel, and Truist Plaza.

Contemporary Era

Architectural contrast in Downtown office buildings Atlanta architectural contrast.jpg
Architectural contrast in Downtown office buildings

In the latter half of the 1980s, Atlanta became one of the early-adopters of postmodern designs which reintroduced classical elements to the cityscape. Many of Atlanta's tallest skyscrapers were built from the late 1980s to the early 1990s, with most displaying tapering spires or otherwise ornamented crowns, such as One Atlantic Center (1987), 191 Peachtree Tower (1991), and the Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta (1992). And at 1,023 feet (312 m), Atlanta's tallest skyscraper—the Bank of America Plaza (1992)—is the 61st-tallest building in the world and the 9th tallest building in the United States. [9]

More recently, Atlanta's built environment has been getting more eclectic and diverse. For example, 3344 Peachtree (2008) is more in the glass-walled modernist vein, while Millennium Gate (also completed in 2008) is the largest classical monument in the U.S. to have been dedicated since completion of the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. [10]

Repurposed industrial architecture

Ponce City Market multi-use complex, formerly the Sears, Roebuck warehouse for the southeastern U.S. Ponce City Market 2015.jpg
Ponce City Market multi-use complex, formerly the Sears, Roebuck warehouse for the southeastern U.S.

With the dawn of the twenty-first century, many former industrial buildings were repurposed for residential and retail use, many along the BeltLine, former railroad rights-of-way which became a ring of trails around the central city. Examples are Ponce City Market, Krog Street Market, Telephone Factory Lofts, Fulton Bag and Cotton Mills, King Plow and Goat Farm Arts Centers and many others, particularly in the Old Fourth Ward, Inman Park Village, Cabbagetown and Reynoldstown, and the Marietta Street Artery.

Notable Architecture

Arts facilities have led the way for modernists in Atlanta architecture with the High Museum designed by Richard Meier with a 2005 addition by Renzo Piano. A recent design competition resulted in Freelon Associates (in conjunction with HOK) being selected as the architect for the new $100 million home of the Center for Civil and Human Rights. Michael Graves' post-modern style is exhibited in the Ten Peachtree Place office building in Midtown and the Michael C. Carlos Museum on the campus of Emory University. The 50-story One Atlantic Center was designed by Philip Johnson in association with John Burgee. Completed in 1980, the Atlanta-Fulton Central Public Library was designed by one of the 20th century's most notable modernists architects, Marcel Breuer, who holds the distinction of having studied and taught at the Bauhaus, where early in his career Breuer first became a renowned furniture designer. Atlanta also has its own Flatiron Building, built in 1897, five years before the more famous Flatiron Building in New York City (1902). [11]

Skyscrapers

RankNameHeight
ft (m)		FloorsYearNotes
1 Bank of America Plaza 1,023 (312)551992 63rd-tallest building in the world, 10th-tallest in the U.S. Has been the tallest building in Atlanta, Georgia and the Southern United States since 1992. Tallest building in any U.S. state capital. [12]
2 Truist Plaza 871 (265)601992 77th-tallest building in the world, 25th-tallest in the U.S. [13]
3 One Atlantic Center 820 (250)501987 125th-tallest building in the world, 38th-tallest in the U.S. Also known as the IBM Tower. [14] [15] [16]
4 191 Peachtree Tower 770 (235)501990 200th-tallest building in the world, 57th-tallest in the U.S. [17] [18]
5 Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel 723 (220)731976 93rd-tallest building in the U.S. Stood as the tallest all-hotel building in the world from 1976 until 1977. [19] [20]
6 Georgia-Pacific Tower 697 (212)521982 [21] [22] Total building area is 1,567,011 sq.ft. [23]
7 Promenade II 691 (211)381990 [24] [25]
8 AT&T Midtown Center 677 (206)471982Also known as the BellSouth Building. [26] [27]
9 3344 Peachtree 665 (203)482008Also known as the Sovereign. [28] [29]
10 1180 Peachtree 657 (200)412006Formerly known as the Symphony Center. [30] [31]

Firms, Universities, and Organizations

The classical Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta at 1000 Peachtree Street 1000 Peachtree.jpg
The classical Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta at 1000 Peachtree Street
Peachtree Center, exhibiting the contributions of John Portman Peachtree Center Architecture.jpg
Peachtree Center, exhibiting the contributions of John Portman

Atlanta is home to the award-winning, internationally acclaimed Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects (formerly Scogin, Elam and Bray Architects). Contemporary practices include BLDGS, Lightroom, Dencity, G+G Architects, Houser Walker Architecture, plexus r+d, Smith Dalia, Square Feet Studio, and Robert M. Cain, Architect. Large firms include Stevens & Wilkinson, Perkins and Will (Owned by Dar Al-Handasah), Collins Cooper Carusi, TVS (Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Associates), Lord Aeck Sargent, Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart & Associates, and Cooper Carry Inc.

The Georgia Institute of Technology College of Architecture, located just west of midtown Atlanta offers both pre-professional undergraduate and professional graduate degrees in architecture, and hosts regular lectures and symposia of interest to students and professionals. Kennesaw State University formerly known as Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta, a suburb of Atlanta, offers a five-year professional undergraduate degree and also hosts lectures and exhibits works in the architecture building's gallery space.

The Young Architects Forum of the Atlanta chapter of the American Institute of Architects sponsors open design competitions, exhibits, and lectures of interest to the profession and the general public.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bank of America Plaza (Atlanta)</span> Skyscraper in downtown Atlanta, GA, USA

Bank of America Plaza is a supertall skyscraper between Midtown Atlanta and Downtown Atlanta. At 311.8 m (1,023 ft), the tower is the 125th-tallest building in the world. It is the 23rd tallest building in the U.S., the tallest building in the Southeastern region of the United States, and the tallest building in any U.S. state capital, overtaking the 250 m (820 ft), 50-story One Atlantic Center in height, which held the record as Georgia's tallest building. It has 55 stories of office space and was completed in 1992, when it was called NationsBank Plaza. Originally intended to be the headquarters for Citizens & Southern National Bank, it became NationsBank's property following its formation in the 1991 hostile takeover of C&S/Sovran by NCNB.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Truist Plaza</span> Skyscraper in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Truist Plaza is a 265 m (869 ft) 60 story skyscraper in downtown Atlanta. It was designed by John C. Portman, Jr. of John Portman & Associates and built from 1989 to 1992. In the mid-1990s, Portman sold half of his interest in the building to SunTrust Banks, which then moved its headquarters to the building and prompted a name change from One Peachtree Center to SunTrust Plaza. In 2021 the building changed its name to Truist Plaza, following a merger between SunTrust Banks and BB&T. The building is also known as 303 Peachtree. The building has a roof height of 871 feet and stands a total of 902 feet tall, including its antenna. When completed, Truist Plaza stood as the world's 28th tallest building and 21st tallest building in the United States. Now it is not in the top 400 in the world, and it is currently the 55th tallest building in the United States and 2nd tallest building in Atlanta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One Atlantic Center</span> Skyscraper in Atlanta, Georgia

One Atlantic Center, also known as IBM Tower, is a skyscraper located in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia. It is the third tallest building in Atlanta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">191 Peachtree Tower</span> Skyscraper in Atlanta

One Ninety One Peachtree Tower is a 235 m (771 ft) 50-story skyscraper in Atlanta, Georgia. Designed by Johnson/Burgee Architects and Kendall/Heaton Associates Inc, the building was completed in 1990 and is the fourth tallest in the city, winning the BOMA Building of the Year Awards the next year, repeating in 1998 and 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel</span> Skyscraper hotel in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, United States

The Westin Peachtree Plaza, Atlanta, is a skyscraper hotel on Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, adjacent to the Peachtree Center complex and the former Davison's/Macy's flagship store with 1,073 rooms. At 723.0 ft (220.37 m) and 73 stories, a total building area of 1,196,240 sq ft (111,134 m2) and a 187 ft (57 m) diameter, the tower is the fourth-tallest hotel in the Western Hemisphere, and the 30th tallest all-hotel building in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgia-Pacific Tower</span> Skyscraper in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Georgia-Pacific Center is a 212.45 m (697.0 ft), 1,567,011 sq.ft skyscraper in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It contains 52 stories of office space and was finished in 1982. Before the six-year era of tall skyscrapers to be built in Atlanta, it was Atlanta's second-tallest building from 1982 to 1987. It has a stair-like design that staggers down to the ground, and is clad in pink granite quarried from Marble Falls, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State of Georgia Building</span> Government offices in Georgia, United States

The State of Georgia Building is a 44-story, 566 feet (173 m) skyscraper located in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Built in 1966, the building was the tallest building in the Southeast at the time. It was Atlanta's tallest until 1976, when the Westin Peachtree Plaza surpassed it. It was built on the site of the Peachtree Arcade, A. Ten Eyck Brown's 1917 covered shopping arcade which connected Peachtree and Broad streets. 2 Peachtree Street was originally constructed as the new headquarters building for First National Bank of Atlanta, also known as First Atlanta, replacing its older (1905) headquarters building next door. It was designed by a partnership of Atlanta architectural firm FABRAP and New York firm Emery Roth & Sons. First Atlanta was acquired by the holding company for Wachovia Bank in 1985, but continued to operate under its own charter until 1991. In 1991, under new liberalized banking laws, First Atlanta was merged into the charter of Wachovia Bank of Georgia. Shortly thereafter, Wachovia moved its Georgia offices to 191 Peachtree and 2 Peachtree Street was acquired by the state of Georgia for government offices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peachtree Center</span> Human settlement in Atlanta, Georgia, US

Peachtree Center is a district located in Downtown Atlanta, Georgia. Most of the structures that make up the district were designed by Atlanta architect John C. Portman, Jr. A defining feature of the Peachtree Center is a network of enclosed pedestrian sky bridges suspended above the street-level, which have garnered criticism for discouraging pedestrian street life. The district is served by the Peachtree Center MARTA station, providing access to rapid transit.

<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 larger of the city's two other 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">Hancock Whitney Center</span> Tallest building in both the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana

Hancock Whitney Center, formerly One Shell Square, is a 51-story, 697-foot (212 m) skyscraper designed in the International style by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, located at 701 Poydras Street in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the tallest building in both the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana, and is taller than Louisiana's tallest peak, Driskill Mountain. The building is primarily used for leasable office space, with some retail space on the ground level. The design of the building is very similar to Houston's One Shell Plaza and Denver's Republic Plaza, as well as Rochester's Five Star Bank Plaza, all designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. Hines Interest is the developer of Hancock Whitney Center and Lincoln Property Company. Shell Oil Company is the building's largest tenant. The building was renamed in 2018. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places that same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyatt Regency Atlanta</span> Building in Georgia, United States

The Hyatt Regency Atlanta is a business hotel located on Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. Opened in 1967 as the Regency Hyatt House, John C. Portman, Jr.'s revolutionary 22-story atrium design for the hotel has influenced hotel design enormously in the years since. The hotel instantly became one of the most recognized buildings in Atlanta.

Smallwood is an American architectural firm based in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1979, the company has approximately 108 total employees across all of its locations and generates $25.00 million in sales (USD). There are 3 companies in the Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart & Associates, Inc. corporate family; with the Atlanta office primarily serving the Southeastern United States and an additional office in Singapore. Its Atlanta office is headed by eleven principal architects, many of whom are members of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and are Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certified Professionals. The firm has worked on designs in corporate, commercial, hospitality, multifamily, industrial, governmental, and educational settings.

References

  1. ↑ Mead, Nick Van (2018-10-23). "The lost city of Atlanta". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2023-07-12.
  2. 1 2 Gournay, Isabelle. AIA Guide to the Architecture of Atlanta. University of Georgia Press. ISBN   978-0820314501.
  3. ↑ Bow, James Dunwoody Brownson De; Burwell, William MacCreary (1 January 1859). DeBow's Review. J.D.B. De Bow. p.  464 . Retrieved 19 February 2017– via Internet Archive.
  4. ↑ Jones, Tommy H. "Tullie Smith House - Original Site and Outbuildings". tomitronics.com. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  5. ↑ Sources documented on Barry Popik's Big Apple blog:
    • 5 October 1872, Appletons' Journal of Literature, Science and Art, pg. 376: "Marvellous tales are told of this antique period in the history of the present "New York of the South," concerning acres upon acres of land, near the heart of the city, selling for fifty cents per acre, but which now are worth a snug little fortune. Such was Atlanta less than three decades ago."
    • 17 June 1879, Daily Constitution (Atlanta, GA), pg. 4: "...the future New York of the south - as it was predicted at the opening of the Port Royal railroad in 1873."
    • 6 July 1881, New York Times, pg. 4: "The New-Orleans Democrat says that that city is the New-York of the South, and yet has no public library."
    • 29 January 1884, Atlanta Constitution, pg. 4: "The New York of the South. From the New York Tribune: THE ATLANTA CONSTITUTION draws a sad picture of its environment. "Within one hundred yards of the officer," is its plaintive mean, "wagons are literally up to the hub in mud. Part of Ellis street, in a quarter mile of the depot, is literally impassable." Assuming that our contemporary's account of these wagons and this streets is literally correct, it looks as if Atlanta was likely to be known as the New York of the south."
    • 12 November 1891, Atlanta Constitution, pg. 4: "Atlanta is a grand city. It is the New York of the south, and henceforth it can get the finest attractions produced, for its patronage is sufficient to make the very best and most expensive show a financial success."
    • 21 October 1892, Atlanta Constitution, pg. 5: "Work will cease altogether and the New York of the south will pay honor to the brave navigator, who in spite of the hardships he had to endure, pointed out a new land to the ignorant people of the time."
    • 19 January 1895, Atlanta Constitution, pg. 4: "Cedartown Standard: Atlanta aspires to be the New York of the south - in fact, she is, and so it is perfectly natural that she should follow New York in having the big police scandal and investigation that is now on hand
  6. ↑ "Proceedings of the Annual Convention - National Association of Life Underwriters / Life Underwriters Association of Canada". 1893. p. 62. Retrieved 19 February 2017– via Google Books.
  7. ↑ Cooper, Jr, William J.; Terrill, Thomas E. (16 January 2009). "The American South: A History". Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 529. Retrieved 19 February 2017– via Google Books.
  8. ↑ Still, Bayrd (1 January 1974). Urban America: a history with documents . Little, Brown. Retrieved 19 February 2017– via Internet Archive. chicago of the south.
  9. ↑ "World's Tallest Buildings". Infoplease. Retrieved June 26, 2007.
  10. ↑ "Triumphal March". PALLADIO AWARDS. Retrieved January 26, 2012.
  11. ↑ Flatiron Building history Archived April 5, 2004, at the Wayback Machine
  12. ↑ "Bank of America Plaza". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 15 January 2008. Retrieved 2007-12-25.
  13. ↑ "SunTrust Plaza". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 19 December 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-25.
  14. ↑ "One Atlantic Center". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on February 18, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-25.
  15. ↑ "One Atlantic Center". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-25.
  16. ↑ "One Atlantic Center". Glass Steel and Stone. Artefaqs Corporation. Archived from the original on 2008-12-04. Retrieved 2008-05-31.
  17. ↑ "191 Peachtree Tower". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on December 31, 2006. Retrieved 2007-12-25.
  18. ↑ "191 Peachtree Tower". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 1 January 2008. Retrieved 2007-12-25.
  19. ↑ "Westin Peachtree Plaza". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on May 1, 2007. Retrieved 2008-05-15.
  20. ↑ "Westin Peachtree Plaza". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 24 April 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-15.
  21. ↑ "Georgia Pacific Tower". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on February 21, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-25.
  22. ↑ "Georgia Pacific Tower". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 19 December 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-25.
  23. ↑ "Georgia-Pacific Center". CrediFi. Archived from the original on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  24. ↑ "Promenade II". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on May 13, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-25.
  25. ↑ "Promenade 2". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 19 December 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-25.
  26. ↑ "AT&T Building". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on February 22, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-25.
  27. ↑ "BellSouth Building". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 19 December 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-25.
  28. ↑ "Sovereign". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on February 21, 2007. Retrieved 2008-05-15.
  29. ↑ "Sovereign". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 24 April 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-15.
  30. ↑ "1180 Peachtree". Emporis.com. Archived from the original on February 11, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-25.
  31. ↑ "1180 Peachtree". SkyscraperPage.com. Archived from the original on 19 December 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-25.
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