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Get the story behind the places, faces, and current events shaping the downtownATL district.
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Construction, openings, investment, and physical transformation of Atlanta's city center.
David Cummings — who sold Pardot to Salesforce for $95 million and built Atlanta Tech Village into a 300-member startup hub — sits down with the AJC to discuss his vision for transforming 53 buildings across 10 blocks of South Downtown.
The Origin Hotel Atlanta, turning a 1950s office building near Underground Atlanta into a 121-room boutique property, hit construction hurdles in 2024 -- but its restaurant partner confirmed the project was back on track for a summer opening.
Tech investors Jon Birdsong and David Cummings envision transforming South Downtown into "Startup City," with a new co-working space hosting 50 entrepreneurs and plans to convert the 115-year-old Sylvan Hotel into a formal incubator, while new restaurants like Tyde Tate Kitchen and Spiller Park have already opened.
Jon Birdsong and David Cummings, the entrepreneurs behind Atlanta Ventures, acquired 53 historic buildings and acres of parking lots across 10 blocks of South Downtown with a bold vision: transform the area once known as "Hotel Row" back into the entrepreneurial capital of the Southeast.
A lender moved to foreclose on the $20 million loan behind converting 41 Marietta Street's 13-story office tower into 120 apartments -- even as the mayor softened his stance on how BeltLine transit should actually work.
Less than six years after it opened as Westside-facing greenspace, the 11-acre Home Depot Backyard next to Mercedes-Benz Stadium became a candidate for redevelopment when GWCCA issued a request for qualifications in 2024.
Darryl Harris, owner of Moods Music in Little Five Points, is launching Crates, a used vinyl record shop at 215 Mitchell Street in South Downtown. The store is expected to open in August or September 2024.
A $3 million Invest Atlanta bond and a late-July groundbreaking target gave Sweet Auburn Grande real momentum in 2024 -- a two-phase project that saves rather than demolishes two historic buildings at Auburn Avenue and Jesse Hill Jr. Drive.
The $5 billion Centennial Yards development revealed plans for an eight-acre sports and entertainment district across from Mercedes-Benz Stadium — including a fan plaza for the 2026 World Cup, a 233-room hotel, and 480,000 square feet of dining and entertainment.
Centennial Yards revealed plans for a Gensler-designed, 8-acre entertainment hub with a central fan plaza -- pitched as the "center of gravity" for Atlanta's eight 2026 World Cup matches.
Centennial Yards Co. plans to break ground this year on six new buildings in downtown Atlanta, including an entertainment district across from Mercedes-Benz Stadium set to open in time for the 2026 World Cup. The $5 billion project marks the most ambitious construction phase yet for the 50-acre development formerly known as the Gulch.
The next phase of Centennial Yards will bring an entertainment district, hotels, and apartment towers to the 50-acre Gulch development next to Mercedes-Benz Stadium and State Farm Arena. Developer CIM Group plans to break ground this summer on an 8-acre section featuring four buildings and a plaza ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
Congresswoman Nikema Williams announced $207.6 million in federal funding for two of Atlanta's most ambitious infrastructure projects: $157.6 million for Phase 1 of the Stitch and $50 million to connect the BeltLine to the Flint River Trail.
The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded $157.6 million toward constructing The Stitch, a planned 14-acre greenspace over the Downtown Connector, while a second $50 million grant will fund a multiuse trail linking the Atlanta Beltline's Southside Trail to the Flint River Trail.
A Walgreens considered a crucial resource for downtown residents shut its doors at the historic Olympia Building in April 2024, after nearly 800 people signed a petition asking the chain to stay.
