Hurt Building
Encyclopedia
The Hurt Building is a 17-story building in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...

. Built between 1913 and 1926, the bulk of the building was completed in 1913, with a courtyard, entry rotunda and a wing extending final completion to 1926. It was built by Joel Hurt
Joel Hurt
Joel Hurt was an important businessman and developer in Atlanta active in the late 19th century through the early 20th century.Born in Hurtsboro, Alabama Joel Hurt (1850–1926) was an important businessman and developer in Atlanta active in the late 19th century through the early 20th...

, an Atlanta developer to a design by the New York architectural firm of J.E.R. Carpenter. The Hurt Building is a flatiron
Flatiron
Flatiron or flat iron can mean several things:*An old term for a clothes iron*A wedge-shaped building:**The Flatiron Building in New York City, for which the surrounding Flatiron District is named...

 building, occupying a triangular site, with the rotunda at the apex. With restrained ornamentation, it occupies a middle ground between Beaux Arts classicism and the emerging modernist
Modern architecture
Modern architecture is generally characterized by simplification of form and creation of ornament from the structure and theme of the building. It is a term applied to an overarching movement, with its exact definition and scope varying widely...

aesthetic.

One of the nation’s earliest skyscrapers, the first tenant occupied the Hurt Building in October 1913. Standing 18 floors in height and said to be the 17th largest office building in the world at the time of its construction, it is considered a good example of the skyscraper developed by Louis Sullivan and The Chicago School. World War I delayed construction of the building’s north and south wings and light well until 1924. Six decades later, beginning in 1983, The Hurt Building was completely renovated, inside and out, reopening in 1985.

The Hurt Building's lower 4-floors were designed to envelope the maximum allowable building site, except the western building apex, which was constructed 30-feet back in order to enhance window area and promote the majestic view of Atlanta’s burgeoning city. The upper 13-floors of the building, configured in a “V” are appointed by an open light well, accentuated by elevated garden areas. The building is constructed of steel frame and reinforced concrete. The building envelope is uninterrupted marble and glazed brick piers with ornamental terra cotta spandrels terminating in a heavy decorative cornice exemplifying the craftsmanship of the early 1900s.

The Hurt Building is notable for its three-story domed rotunda. The original 1913 chandelier underscores the artistically vibrant ceiling, decorated with brilliant gold leaf panels and dramatic sunbursts, reflected in the circular grand marble staircase leading to the City Grill.

The Hurt Building at 96 years old became the first commercial office building in the state of Georgia (and 6th oldest in the nation) to earn LEED-EBOM Gold Certification as well as the first in Georgia to be awarded the BOMA 360 designation, both in 2009.

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