Should everything go according to plan, downtown will have a vibrant new entertainment district by the time World Cup crowds descend on Atlanta. That was the pitch from Centennial Yards project leaders in March 2024, when they unveiled an 8-acre, mixed-use entertainment hub built around a fan plaza they envisioned as the "center of gravity" for Atlanta's eight 2026 FIFA World Cup matches.
The Gensler-designed second phase, referred to collectively as the Entertainment District, was set to rise from the Gulch on a new platform between Centennial Olympic Park Drive and MLK Jr. Drive, adjacent to both State Farm Arena and Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Plans called for 480,000 square feet mixing retail, hotel, restaurant, and entertainment space -- no residential or office components -- including a 14-story, 233-key hotel; a four-story, 160,000-square-foot single-tenant entertainment venue; a two-story, 50,000-square-foot food and beverage retail building; and a three-story "immersive eatertainment concept" spanning 70,000 square feet. No specific brands or tenants were named.
At the time, Centennial Yards' first phase -- an 18-story hotel and apartment tower -- was already climbing out of the Gulch, with permitting for phase two underway and construction hoped to start that June. Developers with CIM Group's Centennial Yards Company said they hoped not just to finish the Entertainment District by the World Cup, but to have two-thirds of the full 50-acre project complete or under construction by then. Gensler Atlanta project principal Kevin Songer described the design as meant to function as "a pedestrian-oriented crossroads of East and West Atlanta" anchoring the city's urban core.
Centennial Yards president Brian McGowan predicted the finished district "will truly become the epicenter of entertainment in Atlanta, bringing together people of all ages to enjoy concerts, sporting events, bars, restaurants, and retail stores, all in one place" -- part of a megaproject expected to eventually span a dozen city blocks, backed by a nearly $2 billion tax-incentive package, the largest in Atlanta history.
Original reporting by Josh Green for Urbanize Atlanta, published March 2024.
