Downtown Atlanta in the news.

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The Hail Mary Was Born in Atlanta: How a Prayer at Grant Field Became Football's Most Famous Play

On October 28, 1922, a Notre Dame lineman started praying on fourth down at Grant Field in Atlanta. When the play worked — twice — he said, "That Hail Mary is the best play we have." A century later, every desperate last-second throw in football carries the name that was born downtown.

Oct 18, 2024

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The Municipal Market Turns 100: A Century on Edgewood Avenue

On October 18, 2024, the Atlanta Municipal Market - the Sweet Auburn Curb Market - celebrated its centennial with remarks from Mayor Andre Dickens, free historical tours, and a full day of sampling from the merchants who have kept it running since 1924.

Oct 16, 2024

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The Hyatt Regency Atlanta: Downtown's Blue Dome and the Revolving Restaurant That Defined a Skyline

Since 1967, the Hyatt Regency Atlanta's blue dome has been a fixture of downtown's skyline. Inside, the Polaris revolving restaurant offers a 360-degree view that takes one hour to complete — along with rooftop beehives producing 600 pounds of honey a year.

Sep 19, 2024

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Historic Downtown Church Headed for Senior Housing Conversion

Trinity United Methodist Church near City Hall will become 54 units of affordable senior housing while keeping its 1912 sanctuary as an event space.

May 29, 2024

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Freaknik Documentary Tells the Untold Story Behind Atlanta's Legendary Street Party

Hulu's "Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told" traces the annual gathering from a Morehouse cookout to a 250,000-person cultural phenomenon — and examines how it shaped Atlanta's identity as the capital of Black America.

Mar 14, 2024

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The Tower That Would Have Reunited Broad Street — and Beaten Bank of America Plaza

A Georgia Tech grad-school thesis imagined a 1,138-foot skyscraper rising straight out of Five Points station, reconnecting North and South Broad Street for the first time since MARTA divided them.

Jan 23, 2024

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Underground Atlanta Is Becoming an Arts District — From the Ground Up

Eight galleries, a relocated music venue, a sculptor's studio, and a growing community of artists are transforming Underground Atlanta from a shuttered retail complex into a grassroots creative hub in the center of downtown.

Jan 17, 2024

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Hotel Row and Mitchell Street through the years

South Downtown Atlanta's Hotel Row and Mitchell Street once thrived as a bustling gateway anchored by Terminal Station and a string of hotels serving arriving passengers. This retrospective traces the area's evolution from its early 1900s peak through decades of decline and recent redevelopment.

Jan 1, 2024

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Peach Drop Cancelled Again: Atlanta's 34-Year New Year's Eve Tradition Put on Hold for 2024

In December 2023, Mayor Andre Dickens announced that Atlanta would not host the Peach Drop for New Year's Eve — continuing a pattern of cancellations that had disrupted the 34-year-old tradition more years than not since 2019.

Dec 8, 2023

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SEC Extends Championship Game Agreement in Atlanta Through at Least 2031

The Southeastern Conference extended its agreement to hold its football championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium through at least 2031, with a five-year option that could keep the game in Atlanta through 2036.

Dec 1, 2023

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Ted Turner and CNN at 43: "The Story Is Being Rewritten"

More than 500 current and former CNN employees gathered at CNN Center in downtown Atlanta to celebrate the network's 43rd anniversary. Founder Ted Turner sent a letter declaring the network's story is far from over.

Jun 2, 2023

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National Center for Civil and Human Rights Launches $48 Million Expansion

The National Center for Civil and Human Rights in downtown Atlanta announced a $48 million expansion in 2022 — adding two new wings, a 10,000 square-foot education space, and a permanent home for the Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Collection.

Oct 13, 2022

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Ambassador Andrew Young Celebrates 90th Birthday With Downtown Peace Walk

Hundreds joined Ambassador Andrew Young for a peace walk from Centennial Olympic Park to Peace Park on March 10, 2022, celebrating the 90th birthday of the civil rights leader, former mayor, and architect of modern Atlanta.

Mar 10, 2022

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CNN Center in Downtown Atlanta to Be Sold: The End of an Era on Marietta Street

WarnerMedia announced in June 2020 that CNN Center — the downtown Atlanta landmark that served as CNN's global headquarters for four decades — would be put on the market.

Jun 30, 2020

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Metro Atlanta Chamber at 160: From Railroad Fights to Fortune 500 Recruitment

In 2019, the Metro Atlanta Chamber celebrated 160 years — a span that included founding the city's first business advocacy organization in 1859, landing three Super Bowls, recruiting the third-highest concentration of Fortune 500 headquarters in America, and launching ChooseATL to attract the next generation.

Oct 3, 2019