The Atlanta Constitution Building, located at the corner of Forsyth and Alabama Streets and currently owned by the Georgia Department of Transportation, is slated for demolition to make way for a new bare-bones Multi-Modal Passenger Terminal.
While we support the concept of a Multi-Modal Passenger Terminal, we do not support the needless demolition of the Atlanta Constitution Building. Rather, we support the preservation and adaptive-use of the Atlanta Constitution Building as a vital component of the Multi-Modal Passenger Terminal.
The Atlanta Constitution Building is the only surviving, intact Art Moderne style building of its size and scale in Atlanta. With its streamlined massing, ribbon windows, curved corner, and sleek marble sheathing, the Atlanta Constitution Building evokes the spirit of trains, ocean-liners, and other innovations in transportation during the early 20th century. The building was designed by local architecture firm Robert and Company and completed in 1947.
Nationally acclaimed sculptor, Julian Harris of Georgia Tech, created a sculpture 72 feet in length depicting the history of the Constitution for the main entrance along Forsyth Street. The sculpture is now marginally displayed at the Georgia World Congress Center Marta Station.
Since its construction the Atlanta Constitution Building served as the office for the Atlanta Constitution newspaper during Ralph McGills tenure, and in 1953 became the home office for the Georgia Power Company. With the demolition of the Richs Bridge, Home Store, Mens Store, and other structures, the Constitution Building is one of the last surviving structures of the Post World War II era in the downtown district. Today, the building is vacant and neglected.
The Atlanta Constitution Building is significant at the local and state level for its architecture and association with the Atlanta Constitution paper. The building is also eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.
We are strongly opposed to the unnecessary demolition of the Atlanta Constitution Building. We feel that adaptive-use of the building is a viable alternative to its demolition. Preservation, while enhancing the historic character of downtown Atlanta, will conserve valuable building materials and reduce the need for resources to complete a wholly new structure. We support saving the Atlanta Constitution Building for the environment, for history, and for Atlanta.