Midtown Atlanta
Encyclopedia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, situated between the commercial and financial districts of Downtown
Downtown Atlanta
Downtown Atlanta is the first and largest of the three financial districts in the city of Atlanta. Downtown Atlanta is the location of many corporate or regional headquarters, city, county, state and federal government facilities, sporting facilities, and is the central tourist attraction of the city...
and SoNo
SoNo (Atlanta)
SoNo is an urban sub-district of Downtown Atlanta, Georgia, part of Midtown. Much of the area originally consisted of slum areas such as Buttermilk Bottom, which were razed for urban redevelopment projects in the 1960s...
to the south and the affluent residential and commercial district of Buckhead
Buckhead (Atlanta)
Buckhead is the uptown district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States, comprising approximately the northern one-fifth of the city. Buckhead is a major commercial and financial center of the Southeast, and it is the third-largest business district in Atlanta, behind Downtown and Midtown...
to the north. Midtown contains about one-third of the city's high-rises and some of Atlanta's most iconic buildings, such as the Bank of America Plaza
Bank of America Plaza (Atlanta)
Bank of America Plaza is a skyscraper located in the SoNo district of Atlanta, Georgia. At the tower is the 53rd-tallest building in the world. When it first opened, it was the 9th tallest building in the world, and 6th tallest building in the United States...
, (situated between Midtown and Downtown), AT&T Midtown Center, Atlantic Center
One Atlantic Center
One Atlantic Center, also known as IBM Tower, is a skyscraper located in Midtown Atlanta. It is the third-tallest in Atlanta, reaching a height of with 50 stories of office space. It was completed in 1987 and remained the tallest building in Atlanta until 1992, when it was surpassed by the Bank...
, 1180 Peachtree, and Promenade II
Promenade II
Promenade II is a tall skyscraper in Midtown Atlanta. It has 40 stories of office space and its construction was completed in 1990. It is currently the seventh-tallest skyscraper in Atlanta....
. The district is the center of the city's music and arts scene that includes the Fox Theatre, Woodruff Arts Center
Woodruff Arts Center
Woodruff Arts Center is a major visual and performing arts center located in Atlanta. The center houses four arts divisions in one campus and not-for-profit organization...
, the High Museum of Art
High Museum of Art
The High Museum of Art , located in Atlanta, is the leading art museum in the Southeastern United States and one of the most-visited art museums in the world. Located on Peachtree Street in Midtown, the city's arts district, the High is a division of the Woodruff Arts Center.-History:The Museum was...
, the Museum of Design Atlanta
Museum of Design Atlanta
The Museum of Design Atlanta is a design museum located in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. MODA is the only museum in the Southeast devoted exclusively to the study and celebration of all things design.- Overview :...
, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Robert Spano has been its music director since 2001...
, the Center for Puppetry Arts
Center for Puppetry Arts
The Center for Puppetry Arts, located in Atlanta, is the nation’s largest organization dedicated to the art form of puppetry. The Center focuses on three areas: performance, education and museum. It is one of the only puppet museums in the world. The Center is located in Midtown, the city's arts...
, and the 14th Street Playhouse. Midtown Atlanta is also home to three well known institutions of higher education: Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
, John Marshall Law School
John Marshall Law School (Atlanta)
Atlanta's John Marshall Law School is a private, for-profit law school in Atlanta, Georgia, which was founded in 1933 and is fully accredited by the American Bar Association...
, and the Atlanta division of the Savannah College of Art and Design
Savannah College of Art and Design
SCAD, the Savannah College of Art and Design, is a private, accredited and degree-granting university with locations in Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia, Hong Kong, and Lacoste, France.-History:...
(SCAD).
The Midtown district has been a primary area of growth in the city in the first decade of the 2000s, with new condominium units being built, new stores opening, and businesses and people moving into the area. Midtown has a resident population of 30,000, a workplace population of 68,000, a student population of 20,000, and about 6 million visitors annually.
Geography
The definition and meaning of "Midtown" has varied over time, expanding from an original concept of a small neighborhood "mid-way" between Downtown and Buckhead. Boundary definitions vary by the source. Midtown in many cases is a quasi-legal entity for zoning, law enforcement, and taxi purposes. It is defined by the City of Atlanta's NPU to include:- Midtown's Peachtree Corridor - the business district dotted with skyscapers, roughly bounded by the Downtown ConnectorDowntown ConnectorIn Atlanta, Georgia, the Downtown Connector or 75/85 is the concurrent section of Interstate 75 and Interstate 85 through the core of the city. Beginning at the I-85/Langford Parkway interchange, the Downtown Connector runs generally due north, meeting the east-west Interstate 20 in the middle....
on the west, I-85 on the north, Piedmont Ave. on the east, and North Ave. on the south - The "Midtown Neighborhood", the area east of Piedmont Avenue and south of Piedmont Park – a residential area of single-family houses and small apartment buildings. It borders the BeltLine and the Poncey-HighlandPoncey-HighlandPoncey-Highland is a neighborhood on the east side of Atlanta, Georgia, located south of Virginia-Highland. It so named because it is near the intersection of east/west Ponce de Leon Avenue and north/southwest North Highland Avenue. This Atlanta neighborhood was established between 1905 and 1930,...
neighborhood on the east and Ponce de Leon Avenue and the Old Fourth WardOld Fourth WardThe Old Fourth Ward, often abbreviated The Fourth Ward or O4W, is a neighborhood stretching east from Downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The Old Fourth Ward is one of the city's most rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods, but is also one of the city's most eclectic, containing a burgeoning nightlife district...
on the south – roughly contiguous with the National RegisterNational Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
-listed Midtown Historic DistrictMidtown Historic District (Atlanta, Georgia)The Midtown Historic District in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia is a historic district that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999....
The Midtown Alliance defines Midtown as a larger area or "District" of approximately four square miles that, in addition to the previously mentioned area, includes:
- two of the most affluent historic residential neighborhoods in Atlanta, Ansley ParkAnsley ParkAnsley Park is an affluent residential neighborhood in Atlanta, Georgia, located just east of Midtown and west of Piedmont Park. One of the first suburban neighborhoods in the city designed for automobiles, it features wide, winding roads rather than the grid pattern typical of older streetcar...
and Sherwood ForestSherwood Forest (Atlanta)Sherwood Forest is a neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia, bordered by the Ansley Park neighborhood on the south and east, and on the northwest by the Downtown Connector across which is the Brookwood Hills neighborhood. It was established in 1949. It is one of the most affluent neighborhoods of the... - the prominent mixed-use development of Atlantic StationAtlantic StationAtlantic Station is a large brownfield redevelopment project at the northwestern edge of Midtown Atlanta, Georgia. Atlantic Station is being master developed by AIG Global Real Estate and local development partner Jacoby Development, Inc...
- the relatively low-profile residential neighborhoods of Home ParkHome Park (Atlanta)Home Park is a neighborhood of Atlanta, north of Georgia Tech roughly between 10th Street, Northside Drive , 16th Street, and I-75/85 in Atlanta, Georgia...
and Loring HeightsLoring HeightsLoring Heights is a neighborhood of just over 300 homes located in Midtown Atlanta, nestled between Peachtree Street, Northside Drive, and Atlantic Station. The neighborhood provides relatively easy access to I-75/85, GA 400, and I-285.-External links:*...
. Note also the "Marietta Street corridor" is included (sometimes called "Georgia Tech") in both the NPU and Midtown taxi zone maps.
19th century
The southern half of midtown between 8th Street and North Ave was originally purchased by Richard PetersRichard Peters (Atlanta)
Richard Peters was an American railroad man and a founder of Atlanta.Grandson of Judge Richard Peters, Jr...
in 1848 to use the pine forest there for fuel for his downtown flour mill. Over the next 40 years Peters slowly subdivided sections of these land lots off for a gridded residential area and built his own home there on Peachtree at 4th Street. His son, Edward, built his home on the block bounded by North Avenue, Piedmont Avenue, Ponce de Leon Avenue and Myrtle Street. The home, now called Ivy Hall, was restored by the Savannah College of Art & Design in 2008 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. After the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Peachtree between what is now 8th and 12th streets was still about a mile beyond the city limits at Pine Street. A lawless shantytown arose known as "Tight Squeeze", supposedly because it was "a mighty tight squeeze getting through there with your life".
Urbanization and heyday, 1880-1960
Cross streets were built and residential development began around 1880. Piedmont Park was established with the Piedmont ExpositionPiedmont Exposition
The Piedmont Exposition of 1887 was the first exposition ever held in Piedmont Park in Atlanta, Georgia.-Founding of the Piedmont Exposition Company:...
of 1887, followed by the Cotton States and International Exposition of 1895, lending the area new prominence. Electric streetcar lines started or were extended in:
- 1890, along Peachtree Street to Fourteenth Street
- 1895 along Piedmont Avenue with loops to Peachtree at Tenth and Fourteenth Streets
- 1900 beyond Fourteenth Street to Brookwood
In 1904 development on Ansley Park
Ansley Park
Ansley Park is an affluent residential neighborhood in Atlanta, Georgia, located just east of Midtown and west of Piedmont Park. One of the first suburban neighborhoods in the city designed for automobiles, it features wide, winding roads rather than the grid pattern typical of older streetcar...
began, one of Atlanta's most prestigious neighborhoods both then and now. By the 1920s Tenth and Peachtree had become the nexus of a significant shopping district for several blocks around.
Decline, 1960-1980
Midtown continued as an area of residential neighborhoods. The Downtown ConnectorDowntown Connector
In Atlanta, Georgia, the Downtown Connector or 75/85 is the concurrent section of Interstate 75 and Interstate 85 through the core of the city. Beginning at the I-85/Langford Parkway interchange, the Downtown Connector runs generally due north, meeting the east-west Interstate 20 in the middle....
freeway opened in the 1950s, and the blocks between Williams Street and Techwood Drive were demolished to make way for it.
In 1964, Ansley Mall opened north of Midtown and the Tenth Street shopping district went into decline. Peachtree Street between Eighth and Fourteenth became a center of hippie culture known as The Strip. Colony Square
Colony Square
Colony Square is a mixed-use development and sub-district in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia, United States, located on Peachtree Street in between 14th and 15th Streets. The sub-district, which originated as the first mixed-use development in the Southeast, was built between 1969 and 1973...
, the first mixed-use development
Mixed-use development
Mixed-use development is the use of a building, set of buildings, or neighborhood for more than one purpose. Since the 1920s, zoning in some countries has required uses to be separated. However, when jobs, housing, and commercial activities are located close together, a community's transportation...
in the Southeast, was built between 1969 and 1973.
MARTA
Marta
Marta may refer to:* Marta or Marta Vieira da Silva , a Brazilian women's football forward* Marta Estrella, a recurring fictional character from Arrested Development...
rail line opened in 1981-2. In the 1980s many older properties were torn down to make way for parking lots. Many demolished blocks remained empty for decades. However, the Midtown Historic District, the area to the east of Piedmont and south of Piedmont Park, remained residential throughout the period and to this day.
Revitalization, 1980-present
Gradually, larger-scale commercial and residential development took root in the north-south corridor along Peachtree and West Peachtree. The BellSouth Center (1982), now the AT&T Midtown Center was long the landmark skyscraper in the area. Development really took off after 1987, when One Atlantic CenterOne Atlantic Center
One Atlantic Center, also known as IBM Tower, is a skyscraper located in Midtown Atlanta. It is the third-tallest in Atlanta, reaching a height of with 50 stories of office space. It was completed in 1987 and remained the tallest building in Atlanta until 1992, when it was surpassed by the Bank...
was completed. The 2004 opening of the Seventeenth Street Bridge over the Downtown Connector
Downtown Connector
In Atlanta, Georgia, the Downtown Connector or 75/85 is the concurrent section of Interstate 75 and Interstate 85 through the core of the city. Beginning at the I-85/Langford Parkway interchange, the Downtown Connector runs generally due north, meeting the east-west Interstate 20 in the middle....
has reconnected Midtown with the west side of the city and to the Atlantic Station
Atlantic Station
Atlantic Station is a large brownfield redevelopment project at the northwestern edge of Midtown Atlanta, Georgia. Atlantic Station is being master developed by AIG Global Real Estate and local development partner Jacoby Development, Inc...
mixed-use development, built on the former site of the Atlantic Steel company.
The first decade of the 2000s saw numerous high-rise condo buildings go into Midtown such as the Spire
Spire (Atlanta)
Spire is a 453ft tall skyscraper in Atlanta, Georgia. It was built from 2004 to 2005 and has 28 floors. It is tied with the Equitable Building as the 21st tallest building in the city, and has 392 units.-References:*...
, Viewpoint and 1010 Midtown
1010 Midtown
1010 Midtown is a 35 story mixed-use high-rise building in Atlanta, Georgia featuring 443 condominiums atop of retail and dining space. The entire structure takes up about on the block between 11th and 12th streets in Midtown Atlanta, the front of which follows the curve of Peachtree Street...
.
In 2006, Mayor Shirley Franklin
Shirley Franklin
Shirley Clarke Franklin is an American politician, a member of the Democratic Party, and served as mayor of Atlanta, Georgia from 2002 to 2010...
set in motion a plan to make the 14-block stretch of Peachtree Street
Peachtree Street
Peachtree Street is the main street of Atlanta. The city grew up around the street, and many of its historical and municipal buildings are or were located along it...
in Midtown Atlanta (nicknamed "Midtown Mile") a street-level shopping destination envisioned to rival Beverly Hills' Rodeo Drive
Rodeo Drive
Rodeo Drive of Beverly Hills, California is a shopping district known for designer label and haute couture fashion. The name generally refers to a three-block long stretch of boutiques and shops but the street stretches further north and south....
. Plans are now less ambitious, but still retail has taken hold on Peachtree again, notably upscale home furnishing stores such as Kartell
Kartell
Kartell is an Italian company that makes and sells plastic contemporary furniture.The company, headquartered in Milan, began manufacturing automobile accessories in 1949. It expanded into home furnishings in 1963....
and CB2
CB2
CB2 may refer to:* Cannabinoid receptor type 2* Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back* Crate and Barrel* Child-robot with Biomimetic Body - a Robot at the Osaka University that mimics infant learning....
. Midtown is also a hotspot for restaurants and nightlife in Atlanta.
New hotels in Midtown include the Four Seasons, the W, Hotel Palomar, now Renaissance
Kimpton Hotels & Restaurant Group
The Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group Inc. is an American hotel and restaurant company. Founded in 1981 by William Kimpton and led by Chief Executive Officer Michael Depatie, it is the largest chain of boutique hotels in the United States. The company's headquarters are in San Francisco,...
, and the Loews
Loews Hotels
-About Loews HotelsHotels:Loews Hotels currently owns and/or operates 18 hotels and resorts in the United States and Canada:-United States locations:*Loews Annapolis Hotel - Annapolis, Maryland*Loews Atlanta Hotel - Atlanta, Georgia...
.
In 2011 Creative Loafing wrote about Midtown:
No part of the city has evolved more dramatically over the past two decades...Impersonal office buildings, imposing parking decks and cold asphalt arteries have given way to high-rise living and an explosion of street life...Where once there was a wasteland, now there are great restaurants, groceries, specialty shops, townhouses, lofts and ... people.
Midtown Alliance
Formed in 1978, the Midtown Alliance is a group of volunteers, employees, and business and community members, that work towards improving the overall quality of life in Midtown, transforming it into an ideal place for people to actively live, work, and play. Activities of the Alliance include improving the neighborhood safety, developing area arts and education programs, and building community leaders. The master plan from the Alliance, called Blueprint Midtown, is credited with fueling the economic resurgence that has helped the once downtrodden Midtown area transform over the past number of years into a popular neighborhood.Greenspace
Midtown's focal point is the expansive greenspace of Piedmont ParkPiedmont Park
Piedmont Park is a urban park in Atlanta, Georgia, located about northeast of Downtown, between the Midtown and Virginia Highland neighborhoods. Originally the land was owned by Dr. Benjamin Walker, who used it as his out-of-town gentleman's farm and residence...
, which underwent a major expansion in 2011, with further expansion planned. The park is surrounded by the Midtown business district to its west, Ansley Park to its northwest, the BeltLine
Beltline
The Beltline is a region of central Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The area is located immediately to the south of Calgary's downtown , and is sometimes considered part of downtown...
, Morningside
Morningside-Lenox Park
Morningside/Lenox Park is a residential neighborhood in Atlanta, Georgia founded in 1931. It is located north of Virginia-Highland, east of Ansley Park and west of Druid Hills...
, and Virginia Highland to its east, and the Midtown Historic District to its south. The Atlanta Botanical Garden
Atlanta Botanical Garden
The Atlanta Botanical Garden is a botanical garden located adjacent to Piedmont Park in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Incorporated in 1976, the garden's mission is to "develop and maintain plant collections for the purposes of display, education, conservation, research and...
adjoins the Park.
The BeltLine
Beltline
The Beltline is a region of central Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The area is located immediately to the south of Calgary's downtown , and is sometimes considered part of downtown...
is a 22 miles (35.4 km) long trail circling the older neighborhoods of central Atlanta which will be developed in stages. Although it is still an unimproved dirt trail as of 2011, construction of the Eastside Trail has received funding, and will connect Piedmont Park (at the intersection of 10th and Monroe) to the Inman Park
Inman Park
Inman Park was planned in the late 1880s by Joel Hurt, a civil engineer and real-estate developer who intended to create a rural oasis connected to the city by the first of Atlanta's electric streetcar lines. The East Atlanta Land Company acquired and developed more than 130 acres east of the city...
MARTA
Marta
Marta may refer to:* Marta or Marta Vieira da Silva , a Brazilian women's football forward* Marta Estrella, a recurring fictional character from Arrested Development...
station at DeKalb Avenue. The "Art on the BeltLine" project has resulted in the installation dozens of contemporary art pieces on the trail.
Architecture and historic districts
One Atlantic Center
One Atlantic Center, also known as IBM Tower, is a skyscraper located in Midtown Atlanta. It is the third-tallest in Atlanta, reaching a height of with 50 stories of office space. It was completed in 1987 and remained the tallest building in Atlanta until 1992, when it was surpassed by the Bank...
was built on the corner of West Peachtree Street and 14th Street, which kick-started the redevelopment of the area. Some contemporary buildings of note are:
- High Museum of ArtHigh Museum of ArtThe High Museum of Art , located in Atlanta, is the leading art museum in the Southeastern United States and one of the most-visited art museums in the world. Located on Peachtree Street in Midtown, the city's arts district, the High is a division of the Woodruff Arts Center.-History:The Museum was...
by Richard MeierRichard MeierRichard Meier is an American architect, whose rationalist buildings make prominent use of the color white.- Biography :Meier is Jewish and was born in Newark, New Jersey...
and Renzo PianoRenzo PianoRenzo Piano is an Italian architect. He is the recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, AIA Gold Medal, Kyoto Prize and the Sonning Prize... - One Atlantic CenterOne Atlantic CenterOne Atlantic Center, also known as IBM Tower, is a skyscraper located in Midtown Atlanta. It is the third-tallest in Atlanta, reaching a height of with 50 stories of office space. It was completed in 1987 and remained the tallest building in Atlanta until 1992, when it was surpassed by the Bank...
by Phillip JohnsonPhillip JohnsonPhillip Johnson, Philip Johnson, or Phil Johnson may refer to:*Philip Johnson , American architect*Philip Johnson , U.S. Congressman from Pennsylvania*Philip Johnson , retired American tennis player... - 1100 Peachtree1100 Peachtree1100 Peachtree Street is one of the prominent buildings of Midtown Atlanta, Georgia.-Ownership and usage:The 28-story, building is currently owned by Atlanta-based property management company Carter Associates and the San Antonio-based USAA Real Estate Co. It was previously partly owned and...
- 1180 Peachtree
- AT&T Midtown Center
- Bank of America PlazaBank of America Plaza (Atlanta)Bank of America Plaza is a skyscraper located in the SoNo district of Atlanta, Georgia. At the tower is the 53rd-tallest building in the world. When it first opened, it was the 9th tallest building in the world, and 6th tallest building in the United States...
- Four Seasons HotelFour Seasons Hotel AtlantaFour Seasons Hotel Atlanta is a five-star hotel and part of the Toronto-based Four Seasons luxury hotels and resorts. It is located in the Midtown neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia.- History :...
- One Atlantic Center
- Promenade IIPromenade IIPromenade II is a tall skyscraper in Midtown Atlanta. It has 40 stories of office space and its construction was completed in 1990. It is currently the seventh-tallest skyscraper in Atlanta....
- SpireSpire (Atlanta)Spire is a 453ft tall skyscraper in Atlanta, Georgia. It was built from 2004 to 2005 and has 28 floors. It is tied with the Equitable Building as the 21st tallest building in the city, and has 392 units.-References:*...
- ViewpointViewpointViewpoint may refer to:* A camera angle in photography, filmmaking, and other visual arts* Viewpoint model, a computer science technique for making complex systems more comprehensible to human engineers* Viewpoint , shooter video game...
- 1010 Midtown1010 Midtown1010 Midtown is a 35 story mixed-use high-rise building in Atlanta, Georgia featuring 443 condominiums atop of retail and dining space. The entire structure takes up about on the block between 11th and 12th streets in Midtown Atlanta, the front of which follows the curve of Peachtree Street...
Historic buildings
In the streets along the Peachtree Corridor, very little is left over of the area's original architecture including single-family homes and mansions. Some buildings listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
include:
- The Margaret Mitchell House
- Rhodes HallRhodes HallRhodes Memorial Hall, commonly known as Rhodes Hall, is a historic house museum located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was built as the home of furniture magnate Amos Giles Rhodes, proprietor of Atlanta-based Rhodes Furniture...
- Edward C. Peters HouseEdward C. Peters HouseThe Edward C. Peters House, also known as Ivy Hall, is a Queen Anne style house in Atlanta, Georgia. Occupying a lot covering an entire city block, the house was built in 1883 for Edward C. Peters. The architect was Gottfried I. Norrman, a Swedish immigrant...
(Ivy Hall) - Academy of MedicineAcademy of Medicine (Atlanta, Georgia)The Academy of Medicine in midtown Atlanta, Georgia was built in 1941 and housed the Medical Association of Atlanta until the 1970s.-Construction:...
Fox Theatre Historic District
The Fox Theatre Historic District is located in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia. It is listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
and consists of the following buildings:
- the Fox Theatre (Oliver Vinour et al., 1929)
- William Lee StoddartWilliam Lee StoddartWilliam Lee Stoddart was an architect best known for urban hotels in the eastern United States. Even though he was born in Tenafly, New Jersey, the bulk of his commissions were in the South. He maintained offices in Atlanta and New York City....
's Georgian Terrace HotelGeorgian Terrace HotelThe Georgian Terrace Hotel in Midtown Atlanta, part of the Fox Theatre Historic District, was designed by architect William Lee Stoddart in a Beaux-Arts style that was intended to evoke the architecture of Paris. Construction commenced on July 21, 1910, and ended on September 8, 1911, and the hotel...
(1911) - Stoddart's ItalianateItalianate architectureThe Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. In the Italianate style, the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and...
(or Beaux-Arts/Renaissance-revival) Ponce de Leon Apartments (1913) - the Cox-Carlton Hotel (1925), originally built as a bachelor hotel but now a Hotel IndigoHotel IndigoHotel Indigo is a chain of boutique hotels, part of the InterContinental Hotels Group. It is promoted as being "the industry’s first branded boutique hotel experience." The concept includes a retail-inspired design concept with changes throughout the year. Guestrooms feature murals, area rugs,...
.
Midtown Historic District
The Midtown Historic District consists of most of Midtown east of Piedmont Avenue (between 10th Street and Ponce, and east to the BeltLine). It is noted for its bungalows and Queen Anne style houses.Economy
Midtown Atlanta is a commercial district in its own right, containing 22000000 square feet (2,043,866.9 m²) of office space, with 8200000 square feet (761,804.9 m²) of office space added to the area since 1997, with up to 3800000 square feet (353,031.6 m²) more planned. Furthermore, Midtown is the home to the corporate headquarters such as EquifaxEquifax
Equifax Inc. is a consumer credit reporting agency in the United States, considered one of the three largest American credit agencies along with Experian and TransUnion. Founded in 1899, Equifax is the oldest of the three agencies and gathers and maintains information on over 400 million credit...
, EarthLink
EarthLink
EarthLink , is an Internet service provider headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. It claims 1.94 million subscribers.- Business :EarthLink provides a variety of Internet connection types, including dial-up, DSL, satellite, and cable. Both dial-up and high speed Internet access are available...
, Invesco, and The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation and manufacturer, retailer and marketer of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups. The company is best known for its flagship product Coca-Cola, invented in 1886 by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton in Columbus, Georgia...
, as well as other corporations with a sizeable presence such as Norfolk Southern, Wachovia
Wachovia
Wachovia was a diversified financial services company based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Before its acquisition by Wells Fargo in 2008, Wachovia was the fourth-largest bank holding company in the United States based on total assets...
, PriceWaterhouseCoopers
PricewaterhouseCoopers
PricewaterhouseCoopers is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest professional services firm measured by revenues and one of the "Big Four" accountancy firms....
, and AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
, as a result of its purchase of BellSouth. Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
's Atlanta area office is in Midtown.
Major law firms such as King & Spalding
King & Spalding
King & Spalding LLP is an American law firm with 125 years of service. It was founded in Atlanta, Georgia in 1885 by Alexander C. King and Jack Spalding. The firm has expanded nationally, with offices in Austin, Charlotte, Houston, New York, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and Washington, D.C...
and Kilpatrick & Stockton are also located in this district. Arcapita
Arcapita
Arcapita Inc. is a Delaware-incorporated holding and real estate company, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia....
's Atlanta offices are in the district. Jason's Deli
Jason's Deli
Jason's Deli is a fast casual deli restaurant chain headquartered in Beaumont, Texas, United States.-History:Jason's Deli was founded in Beaumont, Texas in 1976 by Joe Tortorice Jr. and his partners Rusty Coco, Pete Verde and Pat Broussard....
's eastern regional office is in Midtown.
The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta is responsible for the sixth district, which covers the states of Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, 74 counties in the eastern two-thirds of...
, once located at 104 Marietta Street NW prior to 2001, is located at 1000 Peachtree Street NE.
When MindSpring
MindSpring
MindSpring Enterprise was a major Internet service provider headquartered in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia. Mindspring merged with EarthLink on February 4, 2000, with the company retaining the EarthLink name...
was an independent company, its headquarters were in Midtown.
Diplomatic missions
The Consulate-General of CanadaDiplomatic missions of Canada
This is a list of diplomatic missions of Canada. Canada has an extensive diplomatic network, maintained by Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada. As a Commonwealth nation, Canada's diplomatic missions in the capitals of other commonwealth nations are referred to as High Commissions...
is located in the 100 Colony Square Building, as is the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency. The Consulate-General of Israel to the Southeast is located in Uptown. The Consulate-General of Switzerland in Atlanta
Diplomatic missions of Switzerland
This is a list of diplomatic missions of Switzerland, excluding honorary consulates. Switzerland is well known as a protecting power, having used its embassies abroad to represent the interests of states hostile to each other since the Franco-Prussian War...
is located in the Two Midtown Plaza building. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, representing the Republic of China
Diplomatic missions of the Republic of China
This is a list of diplomatic missions of the Republic of China. Due to the fierce competition between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China for diplomatic recognition, the ROC only maintains a handful of full-fledged diplomatic missions abroad...
, is located in the Atlantic Center Plaza
Atlantic Center Plaza
Atlantic Center Plaza is a 24-floor office highrise located at 1180 West Peachtree Street in Atlanta Georgia, across the street from the One Atlantic Center...
.
Culture
[File:Museum oF Design Atlanta.jpg|thumb|right|MODA (Museum of Design Atlanta)Museum of Design Atlanta
The Museum of Design Atlanta is a design museum located in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. MODA is the only museum in the Southeast devoted exclusively to the study and celebration of all things design.- Overview :...
is located on Peachtree Street]]
Arts
Midtown is known by many residents as Atlanta's "Heart of the Arts." It is the home of the Fox TheatreFox Theatre (Atlanta)
The Fox Theatre , a former movie palace, is a performing arts venue located at 660 Peachtree Street NE in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia, and is the centerpiece of the Fox Theatre Historic District....
, the Woodruff Arts Center
Woodruff Arts Center
Woodruff Arts Center is a major visual and performing arts center located in Atlanta. The center houses four arts divisions in one campus and not-for-profit organization...
, the Atlanta Botanical Garden
Atlanta Botanical Garden
The Atlanta Botanical Garden is a botanical garden located adjacent to Piedmont Park in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Incorporated in 1976, the garden's mission is to "develop and maintain plant collections for the purposes of display, education, conservation, research and...
, the Richard Meier
Richard Meier
Richard Meier is an American architect, whose rationalist buildings make prominent use of the color white.- Biography :Meier is Jewish and was born in Newark, New Jersey...
- and Renzo Piano
Renzo Piano
Renzo Piano is an Italian architect. He is the recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, AIA Gold Medal, Kyoto Prize and the Sonning Prize...
-designed High Museum of Art
High Museum of Art
The High Museum of Art , located in Atlanta, is the leading art museum in the Southeastern United States and one of the most-visited art museums in the world. Located on Peachtree Street in Midtown, the city's arts district, the High is a division of the Woodruff Arts Center.-History:The Museum was...
, as well as the Atlanta Ballet
Atlanta Ballet
Atlanta Ballet is a ballet company, located in Atlanta, Georgia. It is the nation’s longest continuously performing ballet company and the State Ballet of Georgia.- History :...
, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Robert Spano has been its music director since 2001...
, Center for Puppetry Arts
Center for Puppetry Arts
The Center for Puppetry Arts, located in Atlanta, is the nation’s largest organization dedicated to the art form of puppetry. The Center focuses on three areas: performance, education and museum. It is one of the only puppet museums in the world. The Center is located in Midtown, the city's arts...
, and other arts and entertainment venues. Recently, the Woodruff Arts Center
Woodruff Arts Center
Woodruff Arts Center is a major visual and performing arts center located in Atlanta. The center houses four arts divisions in one campus and not-for-profit organization...
and its campus were expanded. Future additions will include a new Atlanta Symphony Center
Atlanta Symphony Center
Symphony Center is a proposed concert hall in Atlanta, Georgia that would be the new home of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. The site for the new structure is in Midtown on 14th Street just south of the current Symphony Hall in the Woodruff Arts Center....
. The High has collobarted with major art museums to house temporary collections of masterpieces, most notably the Louvre
Louvre
The Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
and the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
. Across the street from the High is Museum of Design Atlanta (MODA)
Museum of Design Atlanta
The Museum of Design Atlanta is a design museum located in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. MODA is the only museum in the Southeast devoted exclusively to the study and celebration of all things design.- Overview :...
, the only museum
Design museum
A design museum is a museum with a focus on product, industrial, graphic, fashion and architectural design.Many design museums were founded as museums for applied arts or decorative arts and started only in the late 20th century to collect design....
in the Southeast devoted exclusively to the study and celebration of all things design. Midtown is also the home of the Atlanta campus of Savannah College of Art and Design
Savannah College of Art and Design
SCAD, the Savannah College of Art and Design, is a private, accredited and degree-granting university with locations in Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia, Hong Kong, and Lacoste, France.-History:...
, which is located in historic buildings throughout the district.
Festivals & events
Midtown Atlanta is home to a vibrant cultural community, bringing together people from every walk of life. Midtown's Piedmont Park is a popular venue for cultural festivals in Atlanta. Every spring, when the native dogwoods are in bloom in Piedmont Park, is the Atlanta Dogwood FestivalAtlanta Dogwood Festival
The Atlanta Dogwood Festival is an arts and crafts festival held each spring at Piedmont Park in Atlanta, Georgia. Originally held for nine days across two weekends and the weekdays between, it is now held only one weekend during early April, when the native dogwoods are in bloom.- External links :*...
, an arts and crafts fair. Piedmont Park is also the finish line of the Peachtree Road Race
Peachtree Road Race
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race 10K is a 10 kilometer road race held annually in Atlanta, Georgia on July 4, Independence Day. The Peachtree Road Race was until recently the world's largest 10 kilometer race , a title it has held since the late 1970s...
, held annually on Independence Day
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
. As ground-zero for Atlanta arts community, Midtown is home of the annual Atlanta Arts Festival, which brings artists from across the country to Piedmont Park. Piedmont Park is also the home of the Southeast's largest multicultural festival, Festival Peachtree Latino
Festival Peachtree Latino
Festival Peachtree Latino is an ethnic festival held annually Piedmont Park in Atlanta, Georgia. The festival, which celebrates Hispanic-American culture, is the largest multicultural event in the entire Southeast...
, which celebrates Hispanic-American culture with arts and crafts, family activities, sporting events, a parade, dance demonstrations, ethnic foods, and a live music stage featuring international performers from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic. Midtown is also the home of Atlanta's major music festival, Music Midtown
Music Midtown
Music Midtown was a large music festival held in Atlanta, Georgia from 1994 to 2005. It is once again resurrected for 2011.The festival ran on one weekend each year from 1994 to 2005. The event drew in excess of 300,000 attendees per year during its peak years. Music Midtown started as a two-day...
, which was revived in 2011 after a five-year hiatus. At the corner of 8th Street and Spring Street, near the Midtown MARTA station, Midtown also hosts the Peachtree Music Festival, a one-day, two-stage music festival blending indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
bands with electronic DJs. In the fall, the Atlanta Pride
Atlanta Pride
Atlanta Pride, also colloquially called the Atlanta Gay Pride Festival, is a week-long annual lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender pride parade held in Atlanta, Georgia . Established in 1971, it is one of the oldest pride parades in the United States.. According to the Atlanta Pride Committee as...
festival attracts the LGBT local and regional community while the week-long Out on Film
Out on Film
Out on Film, Atlanta, Georgia's gay film festival, was established in 1987 and is one of the oldest gay film festivals in the United States devoted to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. The festival is now held in Midtown Atlanta in October to coincide with LGBT History Month...
gay film festival highlights films by, for and about the LGBT community.
Nightlife
Midtown is known throughout Atlanta as an extremely popular, cosmopolitan, and vibrant area for nightlifeNightlife
Nightlife is the collective term for any entertainment that is available and more popular from the late evening into the early hours of the morning...
. Many of the city's trendy restaurants and bars are located in Midtown. An estimated 52% of all of the city's nightclubs are located in Midtown. Some of the prominent bars and clubs include CosmoLava (Cosmopolitan Lounge and Lava), Opera, Primal, Leopard Lounge, Velvet Room, Door 44, Verve Lounge, Twisted Taco, Halo, Fox and Hound, Highland & Co. and many others. Midtown is also home to a large amount of the city's gay bars. Popular gay bars and clubs include Felix's, Blake's, Amsterdam, Swinging Richards, Heretic, Bulldog Bar, Jungle, New Order, Woofs, BJ Rooster's, Friends on Ponce and Burkhart's. Many celebrities have been spotted making an appearance at nightclubs in Midtown. These include Pamela Anderson
Pamela Anderson
Pamela Denise Anderson is a Canadian-American actress, model, producer, author, activist, and former showgirl, known for her roles on the television series Home Improvement, Baywatch, and V.I.P. She was chosen as a Playmate of the Month for Playboy magazine in February 1990...
, Adam Lambert
Adam Lambert
Adam Mitchel Lambert is an American singer, songwriter, and actor from San Diego, California. In May 2009, he finished as the runner-up on the eighth season of American Idol...
, Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
, Lauren Conrad
Lauren Conrad
Lauren Katherine Conrad is an American television personality, celebutante, and fashion designer. She came to prominence with her starring roles on the MTV reality series Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County and its spin-off series, The Hills, which at one point followed her personal and...
, Mario Lopez
Mario López
Mario Michael Lopez, Jr. is an American actor who has appeared on several television series, in films, and on Broadway. He is best known for his portrayal of the character A.C. Slater on Saved By The Bell, which he also portrayed as a regular on Saved by the Bell: The College Years...
, Audrina Partridge, Ludacris
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges , better known by his stage name Ludacris, is an American rapper and actor. Along with his manager, Chaka Zulu, Ludacris is the co-founder of Disturbing tha Peace, an imprint distributed by Def Jam Recordings...
, T.I.
T.I.
Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. , better known by his stage name T.I., is an American rap artist, film and music producer, actor and author. He is also the founder and co-chief executive officer of Grand Hustle Records....
, Mindy Hall
Mindy Hall
Mindy Hall is a makeup artist who has worked on films such as Star Trek , World Trade Center , Pearl Harbor and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps . She won her Oscar for Best Makeup in 2010, for her work on Star Trek....
, Ciara
Ciara
Ciara Princess Harris , known mononymously as Ciara, is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, actress and fashion model. Born in Austin, Texas, she traveled around the world during her childhood, only to land in Atlanta, Georgia where she met music producer, Jazze Pha...
, Pussycat Dolls
Pussycat Dolls
The Pussycat Dolls are an American pop girl group and dance ensemble based in Los Angeles; currently consisting of Lauren Bennett, Vanessa Curry, Kristal "Lyndriette" Smith, Tiffany "Taz" Zavala, Kia Hampton and Paula Van Oppen. The Pussycat Dolls were founded by choreographer Robin Antin in 1995...
, and Tiesto
Tiësto
Tijs Michiel Verwest, , known as Tiësto , is a Dutch musician, DJ and record producer of electronic dance music. Although he has used many aliases in the past, he is best known for his work as DJ Tiësto...
.
Education
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Atlanta Public Schools
Atlanta Public Schools is a school district based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. APS is run by the Atlanta Board of Education with interim superintendent Erroll Davis...
.
- Morningside Elementary School
- Inman Middle School
- Henry W. Grady High SchoolHenry W. Grady High SchoolHenry W. Grady High School is located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States in Midtown. It serves as the Communication Magnet school for the Atlanta Public Schools...
In addition, the main campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
is located in the southwest corner of the district.
Transportation
Midtown Atlanta is served by Atlanta's rail rapid transit system, MARTAMetropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority
The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority or MARTA is the principal rapid-transit system in the Atlanta metropolitan area and the ninth-largest in the United States. Formed in 1971 as strictly a bus system, MARTA operates a network of bus routes linked to a rapid transit system consisting...
, at the Civic Center
Civic Center (MARTA station)
Civic Center is an elevated metro station on the Red and Gold lines of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority rail system. It is located in the SoNo district of Atlanta...
, North Avenue
North Avenue (MARTA station)
North Avenue is an underground train station on the Red and Gold lines of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority rail system, named after the nearby North Avenue. The walls are made of white tile and painted with a mural of green hills, a blue sky, and clouds. It is among the busiest...
, Midtown
Midtown (MARTA station)
Midtown is an underground metro station on the Red and Gold lines of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority rail system located in Midtown Atlanta. As of April 2006, 4,085 daily fares were collected at the gates...
, and Arts Center MARTA Stations
Arts Center (MARTA station)
The Arts Center Station is an underground metro station on the Red and Gold lines of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority rail system....
. MARTA operates significant bus service in the district, as well. There is also a free shuttle between the Arts Center MARTA Station and Atlantic Station, as well as a free-to-the-public daytime shuttle between the Midtown MARTA station and Georgia Tech
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
called the "Tech Trolley."
See also
- Midtown MileMidtown MileThe Midtown Mile is a section of Peachtree Street NE in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia, between North Avenue NE and 15th Street NE. Located across the Downtown Connector from Downtown Atlanta, the Midtown Mile is one of the major thoroughfares of central Atlanta in terms of retail and rapid residential...
- 1010 Midtown1010 Midtown1010 Midtown is a 35 story mixed-use high-rise building in Atlanta, Georgia featuring 443 condominiums atop of retail and dining space. The entire structure takes up about on the block between 11th and 12th streets in Midtown Atlanta, the front of which follows the curve of Peachtree Street...
- The VarsityThe VarsityThe Varsity is a restaurant chain, iconic in the modern culture of Atlanta, Georgia. The main branch of the chain is the largest drive-in fast food restaurant in the world...
- Junior's GrillJunior's GrillJunior's Grill is a restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States. It is located on the Georgia Tech campus in the Bradley Building near Tech Tower. It closed on April 21, 2011 due to declining business.- History :...
- First Presbyterian Church Of AtlantaFirst Presbyterian Church Of AtlantaFirst Presbyterian Church of Atlanta is a parish of the Presbyterian Church located in the Midtown section of Atlanta, Georgia. First Presbyterian Church was founded in 1848, and it was Atlanta’s first Presbyterian house of worship. The original church building was vacated in April 1916 and the...
- Out on FilmOut on FilmOut on Film, Atlanta, Georgia's gay film festival, was established in 1987 and is one of the oldest gay film festivals in the United States devoted to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. The festival is now held in Midtown Atlanta in October to coincide with LGBT History Month...
- Atlanta PrideAtlanta PrideAtlanta Pride, also colloquially called the Atlanta Gay Pride Festival, is a week-long annual lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender pride parade held in Atlanta, Georgia . Established in 1971, it is one of the oldest pride parades in the United States.. According to the Atlanta Pride Committee as...
External links
- Midtown Alliance, neighborhood planning/advocacy organization
- Midtown Atlanta, information/marketing site by Midtown Alliance
- Midtown Mile, development plan
- Midtown Neighbors Association, residential neighborhood association
- Midtown Ponce Security Alliance, private neighborhood security organization
- Technology Square
- A 19th century history of what is now Midtown Atlanta