The Architecture of Atlanta, though not as distinquished as that of cities such as Chicago and New York, has seen works by most major U.S. firms and some of the more prominent architects of the 20th century, including Michael Graves, Richard Meier, and soon, Santiago Calatrava. Atlanta's most notable hometown architect may be John Portman whose creation of the atrium hotel beginning with the Hyatt Regency Atlanta (1968) made a significant mark on the hospitality sector. A graduate of Georgia Tech, Portman's work reshaped downtown Atlanta with his designs for the Atlanta Merchandise Mart , Peachtree Center, the Westin Peachtree Plaza, and SunTrust Plaza.
Arts facilities have led the way for modernists in Altanta architecture with the sleek white High Museum designed by Richard Meier and the recent selection of Santiago Calatrava, known for his dramatic works, for the design of the new Atlanta Symphony Center . Michael Graves' post-modern style is exhibited in his Ten Peachtree Place office building in Midtown and the Michael C. Carlos Museum on the campus of Emory University.
Atlanta also has its own Flatiron Building, built before (1897) the better-known one in New York City (1902). Another historic building of architectural importance to atlanta is the Fox Threatre which was barely saving from the wrecking ball in 1974.
Skyscrapers
The 1980s represented a real-estate boom period for Atlanta and the beginning of significant development in the Midtown area of Atlanta. Consequently, the largest buildings in Atlanta were all completed in the late 80s and early 90s. The ten tallest buildings in Atlanta are:
- Bank of America Plaza(the "Pencil Building") [1]
- SunTrust Plaza [2]
- One Atlantic Center (the "IBM Tower") [3]
- 191 Peachtree Tower [4]
- Westin Peachtree Plaza [5]
- Georgia Pacific Tower [6]
- Promenade II [7]
- BellSouth Building [8]
- Four Seasons Hotel [9]
- Wachovia Bank of Georgia [10]
The Marriott Marquis Hotel [11] is also notable for its bulging base, and is therefore often jokingly known as the "pregnant building" for its odd shape.
A 614 metre skyscraper dubbed the "Atlanta Tower" had been proposed. The idea was rejected, though, because it would have dwarfed the surrounding skyline. It was to contain 130 stories of office space. The idea never got far enough for the design to be released to the public. Two good design ideas can be found at http://www.skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?b8486.
External links