Atlanta Constitution Building
Encyclopedia
The Atlanta Constitution Building, also known as the Georgia Power Atlanta Division Building, is located at the northwest corner of Alabama and Forsyth Streets in downtown
Atlanta, Georgia
, at 143 Alabama Street, SW. It is located in an area known as the "Heart of Atlanta" straddling the railroad gulch, "due to [its] proximity to the 'Zero Mile Post' which marked both the Southeastern terminus of the Western and Atlantic railroad
and the city's earliest settlement.". The former Atlanta Constitution Building was designed by Adolph Wittman and was located at the opposite corner of the intersection beginning in 1895.
until its consolidation with the Atlanta Journal when James C. Cox of the Journal bought the Constitution.
The newspaper subsequently outgrew its building and moved in 1953. There was construction or remodeling undertaken the same year. Georgia Power
moved into the building in 1955 until 1960. Many Atlantans paid their electricity bills at this downtown location. Georgia Power moved to its new location on 241 Ralph McGill Boulevard when the building was finished in 1981. The downtown building has been vacant since 1972. The building was placed on the 2003 List of Endangered Buildings http://www.preserveatlanta.com/2003endangeredbuildings.htm by the Buildings Worth Saving Committee of the Atlanta Preservation Center.
Because of its modernism's rarity in Atlanta, it is considered eligible for the National Register of Historic Places
due to its architecture under Criterion C http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/publications/bulletins/nrb15/nrb15.pdf, and Criterion A http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/publications/bulletins/nrb15/nrb15.pdf because of local significance stemming from Georgia Power's use of the site.
Julian Harris of Georgia Techhttp://www.library.gatech.edu/archives/finding-aids/display/xsl/VAC019 sculpted a 72 feet (21.9 m) bas-relief piece depicting the "History of the Press". After the building's abandonment in 1972 the sculpture was moved to the Georgia World Congress MARTA
station. It is located near the escalators of the Centennial Olympic Park
Drive entrance.
Another piece, an aluminum and terrazzo medallion depicting the state seal of Georgia which was embedded in the floor of the building's entrance, is currently on display in the entrance of McElreath Hall at the Atlanta History Center
.
is the current owner of the site and has plans to demolish the building and erect a two-story, minimalist steel and glass structure to house the planned Multi-Modal Passenger Terminal, also known as the main depot for proposed commuter rail and, possibly someday, high-speed rail, for the region. On July 14, 2010, the Georgia Department of Transportation
announced its plans to hire a developer to transform the area . Requests for proposals are due in September and the winning developer will be announced May, 2011.
The Atlanta Preservation Center published an article on the Atlanta Constitution Building in its newsletter, Preservation Times:
Downtown Atlanta
Downtown Atlanta is the first and largest of the three financial districts in the city of Atlanta. Downtown Atlanta is the location of many corporate or regional headquarters, city, county, state and federal government facilities, sporting facilities, and is the central tourist attraction of the city...
Atlanta, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, at 143 Alabama Street, SW. It is located in an area known as the "Heart of Atlanta" straddling the railroad gulch, "due to [its] proximity to the 'Zero Mile Post' which marked both the Southeastern terminus of the Western and Atlantic railroad
Western and Atlantic Railroad
The Western and Atlantic Railroad of the State of Georgia' is a historic railroad that operated in the southeastern United States from Atlanta, Georgia to Chattanooga, Tennessee....
and the city's earliest settlement.". The former Atlanta Constitution Building was designed by Adolph Wittman and was located at the opposite corner of the intersection beginning in 1895.
History
The five-story Atlanta Constitution Building was constructed in 1947 and designed by Robert & Companyhttp://www.robertandcompany.com/ at a cost of $3 million. The building housed the headquarters of the Atlanta Constitution newspaper during tenure of editor Ralph McGillRalph McGill
Ralph Emerson McGill , American journalist, was best known as the anti-segregationist editor and publisher of the Atlanta Constitution newspaper. He won a Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing in 1959....
until its consolidation with the Atlanta Journal when James C. Cox of the Journal bought the Constitution.
Expenses for the modern plant included “new presses, steel desks, marble corridors and every mechanical contrivance for publishing a modern newspaper in the shortest possible time.” Additionally, WCON, the Constitution's new radio station, was located on the top floor of the building. Retail space occupied the building's sloping base level. Upon moving in, Editor Ralph McGill expressed his desire that the Constitution's prestige should grow to match its new home.
The newspaper subsequently outgrew its building and moved in 1953. There was construction or remodeling undertaken the same year. Georgia Power
Georgia Power
Georgia Power is an electric utility headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It is the largest of the four electric utilities that are owned and operated by Southern Company....
moved into the building in 1955 until 1960. Many Atlantans paid their electricity bills at this downtown location. Georgia Power moved to its new location on 241 Ralph McGill Boulevard when the building was finished in 1981. The downtown building has been vacant since 1972. The building was placed on the 2003 List of Endangered Buildings http://www.preserveatlanta.com/2003endangeredbuildings.htm by the Buildings Worth Saving Committee of the Atlanta Preservation Center.
Architectural significance
The building is typical of the art moderne movement. Its exterior is composed of Flemish bond brick http://plato.acadiau.ca/courses/educ/reid/geometry/brick/bricklayer.html#Flemish_, marble and limestone. It has a flat terraced roof deck, typical of many structures of the modern movement, curved corners, a "prow-like" end and windows on all floors exude horizontal significance.Because of its modernism's rarity in Atlanta, it is considered eligible for the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
due to its architecture under Criterion C http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/publications/bulletins/nrb15/nrb15.pdf, and Criterion A http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/publications/bulletins/nrb15/nrb15.pdf because of local significance stemming from Georgia Power's use of the site.
Julian Harris of Georgia Techhttp://www.library.gatech.edu/archives/finding-aids/display/xsl/VAC019 sculpted a 72 feet (21.9 m) bas-relief piece depicting the "History of the Press". After the building's abandonment in 1972 the sculpture was moved to the Georgia World Congress MARTA
Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority
The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority or MARTA is the principal rapid-transit system in the Atlanta metropolitan area and the ninth-largest in the United States. Formed in 1971 as strictly a bus system, MARTA operates a network of bus routes linked to a rapid transit system consisting...
station. It is located near the escalators of the Centennial Olympic Park
Centennial Olympic Park
Centennial Olympic Park is a 21 acre public park located in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, USA that is owned and operated by the Georgia World Congress Center Authority. The park was built by the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games as part of the infrastructure improvements for the Centennial...
Drive entrance.
Another piece, an aluminum and terrazzo medallion depicting the state seal of Georgia which was embedded in the floor of the building's entrance, is currently on display in the entrance of McElreath Hall at the Atlanta History Center
Atlanta History Center
The Atlanta History Center is a history museum located in the Buckhead district of Atlanta, Georgia. The Museum was founded in 1926, and currently consists of 12 exhibits. There are also historic gardens and houses located on the grounds, including the Swan House and Tullie Smith Farm...
.
Current plans
The Georgia Department of TransportationGeorgia Department of Transportation
The Georgia Department of Transportation is the organization in charge of developing and maintaining all state and federal roadways in the U.S. state of Georgia. In addition to highways, the department also has a limited role in developing public transportation and general aviation programs...
is the current owner of the site and has plans to demolish the building and erect a two-story, minimalist steel and glass structure to house the planned Multi-Modal Passenger Terminal, also known as the main depot for proposed commuter rail and, possibly someday, high-speed rail, for the region. On July 14, 2010, the Georgia Department of Transportation
Georgia Department of Transportation
The Georgia Department of Transportation is the organization in charge of developing and maintaining all state and federal roadways in the U.S. state of Georgia. In addition to highways, the department also has a limited role in developing public transportation and general aviation programs...
announced its plans to hire a developer to transform the area . Requests for proposals are due in September and the winning developer will be announced May, 2011.
The Atlanta Preservation Center published an article on the Atlanta Constitution Building in its newsletter, Preservation Times:
The APC has been advocating for the city to consider this building as part of its multimodal rail system. Dispossession of this city-owned building was held for consideration in the committee headed by former city councilAtlanta City CouncilAtlanta City Council is the main municipal legislative body for the city of Atlanta, Georgia. It consists of 15 members elected from districts within the city. The Atlanta City Government is divided into three bodies: the legislative, executive and judicial branches. The Atlanta City Council serves...
member Clair Muller. The current administrationKasim ReedMohammed Kasim Reed, known as Kasim Reed, is a Democratic politician and the 59th Mayor of Atlanta, who previously represented the 35th District of the Georgia State Senate. He was a member of the Georgia House of Representatives from 1998 to 2002...
has now released ownership of the building to the DoTGeorgia Department of TransportationThe Georgia Department of Transportation is the organization in charge of developing and maintaining all state and federal roadways in the U.S. state of Georgia. In addition to highways, the department also has a limited role in developing public transportation and general aviation programs...
.
The review process concerning the proposed demolition of this building was a great concern to the APC, and the National TrustNational Trust for Historic PreservationThe National Trust for Historic Preservation is an American member-supported organization that was founded in 1949 by congressional charter to support preservation of historic buildings and neighborhoods through a range of programs and activities, including the publication of Preservation...
agreed that the process was problematic. Both organizations went on record to protest the manner in which the review had been conducted. The APC's executive director Boyd Coons was called by former city council member Mary NorwoodMary NorwoodMary Norwood was a 2009 mayoral candidate in Atlanta and a city councilwoman in Atlanta, Georgia, representing Post 2 At Large. Norwood was elected to the Atlanta City Council in 2001.-2009 Atlanta mayoral election:...
to make statements about the value and possibilities of the building.
The preservation community continues to hope that the building will be saved. It is currently the subject of a study by Tony Rizzuto, associate professor at Southern Polytechnic State UniversitySouthern Polytechnic State UniversitySouthern Polytechnic State University is a public, co-educational state university located in Marietta, Georgia, USA just northwest of Atlanta...
. Rizzuto, who is also chairman of the MidtownMidtown AtlantaMidtown is the second largest financial district in the city of Atlanta, Georgia, situated between the commercial and financial districts of Downtown and SoNo to the south and the affluent residential and commercial district of Buckhead to the north...
Land Use Committee and sits on the developmental review committee of DRC, SPI 16, is looking into how the building can be utilized as part of the rail transportation program being developed.