Downtown Atlanta in the news.

Arts & Culture

A Grammy Museum Is Planned for Downtown Atlanta to Celebrate Georgia's Musical Heritage

The Georgia Music Accord, co-chaired by Ludacris and entertainment lawyer Joel Katz, launched a campaign to build a Grammy Museum in downtown Atlanta — backed by a $500,000 state-funded feasibility study and a vision to honor the state that produced James Brown, the Allman Brothers, and R.E.M.

Nov 11, 2020

City Briefings

Atlanta Announces a $5 Million Plan to Make Its Streets Safer

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms unveiled a two-year, $5 million plan to redesign 20 streets and corridors across Atlanta after a series of e-scooter fatalities and pedestrian deaths — including one at a downtown intersection that prompted residents to form a human-protected bike lane.

Jul 1, 2020

Historic

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

Historic

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

Downtown Development

The Stitch: A $400 Million Idea to Cap the Downtown Connector and Reconnect Atlanta

Central Atlanta Progress proposed capping three-quarters of a mile of Interstate 75/85 with parks, walkways, and green space — an idea modeled on Dallas's Klyde Warren Park that could stitch downtown Atlanta's east and west sides back together.

Feb 28, 2019

Downtown Development

Philips Arena Becomes State Farm Arena: A New Name for Downtown Atlanta's Home Court

The Atlanta Hawks announced a 20-year naming rights deal with State Farm, renaming Philips Arena as State Farm Arena. The change accompanied a $192.5 million renovation that transformed the venue into one of the most modern arenas in the NBA.

Aug 29, 2018

Downtown Development

Central Atlanta Progress Proposes Capping the Downtown Connector

In August 2016, Central Atlanta Progress publicly floated a $300 million idea: build a platform over three-quarters of a mile of I-75/85 and turn the highway trench that divides downtown from Midtown into usable urban space.

Aug 17, 2016

Downtown Development

Atlanta's Stadium Love Affair: The Billion-Dollar Debate That Built Downtown's Skyline

By 2016, Atlanta was simultaneously building a $1.5 billion football stadium downtown and a $672 million baseball stadium in Cobb County. The scale of the investment — and the public money involved — forced a citywide reckoning with what stadiums actually do for the communities around them.

Jun 2, 2016

Downtown Development

One Year of the Atlanta Streetcar: A Report Card From Auburn Avenue

After its first year of free rides along Auburn Avenue, the Atlanta Streetcar had carried nearly one million riders, generated $671 million in nearby investment, and earned a grade of B or C from the people who rode it most.

Dec 9, 2015

Downtown Development

Building Atlanta's Bike Culture: The Year Downtown Got Its First Chief Bicycle Officer

In 2015, Mayor Reed appointed Atlanta's first Chief Bicycle Officer, the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition was pushing to open streets for car-free events, and a statewide survey found that 81 percent of Georgians would bike if the infrastructure were safer.

Oct 21, 2015

Downtown Development

Mayor Reed Announces Plans to Expand the Streetcar and Build Atlanta's Largest Park

In his 2015 State of the City address, Mayor Kasim Reed announced two ambitious infrastructure moves: extending the Atlanta Streetcar eastward to connect with the BeltLine, and transforming the abandoned Bellwood Quarry into the city's largest park.

Feb 4, 2015

Downtown Development

All Aboard: The Atlanta Streetcar Begins Service in Downtown Atlanta

On December 30, 2014, Mayor Kasim Reed presided over a grand opening ceremony at Woodruff Park as the Atlanta Streetcar began its 2.7-mile route through downtown — connecting Centennial Olympic Park to the Martin Luther King Jr. Historic District with 12 stops along the way.

Dec 30, 2014

Downtown Development

Underground Atlanta to Be Sold for $25.8 Million to South Carolina Developer

Mayor Kasim Reed confirmed in December 2014 that WRS Inc. would purchase Underground Atlanta for $25.8 million, ending decades of city ownership and launching a new chapter for one of downtown's most storied — and most troubled — properties.

Dec 16, 2014

Downtown Development

The Gigabit BeltLine: Atlanta's Plan to Wire Its Trail With Fiber-Optic Internet

In 2013, Atlanta officials explored laying fiber-optic cable along the 22-mile BeltLine corridor — envisioning a broadband backbone that would attract tech companies and deliver internet speeds 100 times faster than typical cable service.

May 20, 2013

Downtown Development

SkyView Atlanta: City Council Unanimously Approves a 20-Story Ferris Wheel for Downtown

On May 20, 2013, the Atlanta City Council voted unanimously to approve SkyView Atlanta — a 20-story Ferris wheel next to The Tabernacle that had previously stood in Paris and Pensacola.

May 20, 2013