At the top of the former CNN Center sits a small residence that has been the subject of much mystery over the last several decades. Cordoned off to the thousands of CNN employees who once reported to the building, it's accessed by taking the elevator to the 14th floor, walking through a hallway that once housed a marketing department and opening an unassuming door that gave way to a narrow spiral staircase.
The apartment, totaling about 800 square feet, is where Ted Turner spent many of his pivotal years in Atlanta growing CNN and Turner Broadcasting System. Turner, who died May 6 at age 87 after a period of declining health, was once the biggest landowner in the U.S. — but he also counted the CNN Center loft as one of several residences he had across the globe.
The space is divided into two halves by a wall with an aquarium and a wood-burning fireplace, and it featured what in the '90s were a pair of state-of-the-art televisions. Green-blue carpet stretches across the floor, a kitchen sits at the back left corner, and floor-to-ceiling windows show a striking 360-degree view of the city skyline. The bedroom wall is painted a bright pink, a color also found in the bathroom, where an ivory telephone is mounted next to the toilet.
Much has changed in the building over the last five years. CNN vacated and real estate firm CP Group took over, planning to transform the compound into a mixed-use development called "The CTR," featuring housing, office space, and a revamped food hall expected to open June 12 — days before Atlanta hosts its first World Cup matches. CP Group is preserving Turner's apartment as a private event space and stop on building tours, making improvements to restore it to its 1990s character while ensuring it lasts for future generations.
"Ted Turner's impact on Atlanta is impossible to separate from the story of this building and the evolution of downtown itself," said Chris Eachus, a partner at CP Group. "Preserving his apartment was important to us because it represents a unique piece of that legacy."
Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
