Modern Downtown Atlanta

Sullivan, Patrick; Sims-Alvarado, Karcheik

From introduction: "Downtown Atlanta during the mid-twentieth-century underwent unprecedented changes that were both physical and social. The year 1945 marked the end of World War 11 and the start of large-scale transportation planning in Atlanta to address increasing traffic congestion and the development of the downtown expressway. Over the ensuing decades, the city transformed itself from a railroad-oriented, southern transportation hub into a dominant commercial center catalyzed by a modern airport, interstate highway, and rapid rail infrastructure. A pro-business, political environment and relatively progressive handling of racial integration during the tumultuous Civil Rights Movement made the city an attractive place for corporate relocation and development. Atlanta secured its position as a regional economic leader in the Southeastern United States during the "Sun Belt" boom from the 1950s through the 1980s. The city's extraordinary postwar growth is most clearly manifested in Atlanta`s dynamic downtown skyline -- a string of modernist, concrete, glass, and steel high-rise hotels and office towers that appear to stretch north along the Peachtree Street ridge from the gold-topped dome of the Georgia State Capitol to the northern bend of the downtown connector. In 1990, Atlanta was selected to host the 1996 Olympics, finally marking the city's arrival on the international stage. Architecturally, downtown Atlanta would step into the Post-Modern era the following year with the completion of the One-Ninety-One Peachtree Tower and its purposeful return to Neo-classical-influenced design. This booklet presents an illustrated history of this growth and its resultant skyline, drawing upon research and survey of Atlanta's downtown completed for a multiple property nomination to the National Register of Historic Places recognizing Modern Downtown Atlanta's historically significant resources." Funding for this project was provided in part through a 2014 Historic Preservation Fund grant to the City of Atlanta (project number GA-14-022) administered by the Georgia State Historic Preservation Office (grant number P14AB00007) and the State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Atlanta, Georgia is a Certified Local Government.

Modern Downtown Atlanta

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