Peachtree Street Northeast and Andrew Young International Boulevard Northeast
Atlanta, Georgia
Modeled after Manhattan's Rockefeller Center, Atlanta's Peachtree Center was designed by John C. Portman (with input from H. Griffith Edwards) and was implemented in stages between 1960 and 1989. The office and hotel mega development, which was centered on a downtown block along Peachtree Street, eventually extended to fourteen blocks and included the Merchandise Mart complex, seven office towers, three luxury hotels, an athletic club, shopping mall and subterranean rapid transit station.
The first Portman-Edwards project, the 22-floor (1,000,000 square foot) Merchandise Mart, was completed in 1961. Next came the 31-floor Peachtree Center Tower, which was dedicated in 1965. The first luxury hotel in the complex, the 24-floor (800 room) Regency Hyatt House, was officially dedicated in May 1967.
Peachtree Center's 3.8-acre core block was developed over the next 9 years. Its 27-floor Gas Light Tower was finished in 1968. A sibling structure, the 27-floor South Tower, was dedicated in 1970. A fourth office building, the 30-floor Cain Tower, was finished in 1974, followed by the 31-floor Harris Tower, in 1976.
The 3-level PEACHTREE CENTER SHOPPING GALLERY would eventually extend beneath four office buildings. The 200,000 square foot complex was officially dedicated on March 1, 1974 and housed twenty-six stores and services. Among these were Midnight Sun Bakery, Brentano's Books, Cafe Mediterranean and a Rich's II boutique store. The Midnight Sun Dinner Theater served its first meals in February 1976.
Peachtree Center expanded toward the southwest in the mid-1970s. The 73-floor (1,068 room) Western International Peachtree Plaza Hotel made its debut January 12, 1976. It was the city's highest building and the world's tallest hotel. The structure was bumped down to second tallest building in Atlanta status when the IBM Tower was dedicated, in October 1987.
Metro-Atlanta's MARTA subway system was inaugurated on June 30, 1979, with the 7 route mile, Georgia State-to Avondale East Line. Service on the MARTA North Line commenced on December 4, 1981, extending between the Garnett and North Avenue stops. The Peachtree Center station in between was dedicated on September 11, 1982. It connected directly into the PEACHTREE CENTER SHOPPING GALLERY, via a 175-foot escalator accessed from the Gallery Level of the retail venue.
With the completion of the 52-floor (1,674 room) Marriott Marquis, in 1985, the Peachtree Center complex had been expanded toward the northeast. This hotel block was fully-developed with two 30-floor office towers; the Marquis I (1985) and Marquis II (1989). The 9-floor Peachtree Athletic Club, also dedicated in 1985, was connected with the core block of Peachtree Center via a second level Skywalk. Eventually, there would be eleven Skywalks within the 14 million square foot Peachtree Center complex.
PEACHTREE CENTER SHOPPING GALLERY was given a 14 million dollar renovation in 1986 and renamed PEACHTREE CENTER MALL. The Gallery Level sunken garden, open to the Peachtree Street Level above, was roofed-in and made into a Food Court. Forty-five tenant spaces were reconfigured as seventy.
By the 21st century, the official name of the shopping center had morphed to THE MALL AT PEACHTREE CENTER. In August 2006, The core complex was acquired by Miami-based America's Capital Partners (now known as Banyan Street Capital). They performed an interior face lift on the property soon after its acquisition.
A subsequent remodeling was announced in May 2016. The introverted orientation of the Peachtree Center shopping mall would be reconfigured. The facility would be opened up to surrounding streets and several new restaurants and retailers would join its tenant list. Work got underway in October 2017, with the project being completed in the spring of 2019. As part of the revitalization, the MALL AT PEACHTREE CENTER was officially renamed THE HUB.
Sources:
The Atlanta Constitution
The Atlanta Journal
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Peachtree Center Evolution (1961-1988)" / Michael Portmanwww.newgeorgiaencyclopedia.org
www.portmanusa.com
www.jolomo.net
www.peachtreecenter.com
www.itsmarta.com
www.emporis.com
www.content.asce.org
"Peachtree Center" article on Wikipedia
