The Peachtree Center Historic District has been listed in the National
Register of Historic Places.
The district is located in downtown Atlanta (Fulton County) and is roughly bounded by
Andrew Young International Boulevard to the south, Peachtree Center Avenue and
Courtland Street to the east, Baker Street to the north, and Williams Street to
the west. Central Atlanta Progress sponsored the nomination,
and Big RIG: Revitalization Infrastructure Group prepared the nomination
materials.
The Peachtree
Center Historic District spans fourteen blocks, just north of the historic city
center at Five Points. Constructed between 1961 and 1988 by architect-developer,
John C. Portman, Jr., Peachtree Center includes seven office towers, three
hotels, two Mart buildings, the Peachtree Center Mall retail building and
subterranean food court, and one stand-alone parking garage. The district is
urban, and all buildings are between 15 and 73 stories in height and are
unified by consistent design, defined by distinctly heavy massing, vertical
ribbing, vertical ribbon windows, and exposed aggregate precast concrete panel
exteriors. These character-defining features, which comprise what is best
described as a refined permutation of the Brutalist style of architecture,
identify the buildings of the district as Peachtree Center and visually stand
out against a backdrop of more classically inspired and contemporary buildings
outside the district.
The Peachtree
Center Historic District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places
as significant in the areas of architecture, community planning and development,
and social history. It was listed at the national, state, and local levels of
significance in architecture and community planning and development for its
association with the productive life and work of architect and developer John
C. Portman, Jr. As one of the world’s most celebrated and successful
architects, Portman explored innovative ideas and approaches throughout the
design and construction of Peachtree Center, which included many of his
earliest and most significant projects. Central to his success in testing these
new ideas was his approach to development, which was first implemented at
Peachtree Center. He expanded the role of an architect to include functions of
a developer, which led to Portman’s recognition as the first
architect-developer. Portman’s combination of these two roles allowed Peachtree
Center to be his “proving ground” for architectural and urban planning
innovation, which largely resulted in pedestrian-oriented design with the idea
of the “coordinated unit” of interconnected pedestrian-oriented city blocks.
This pedestrian orientation is seen through the use of sky bridges to connect
each of the individual buildings and through Portman’s exploration of the
atrium form evidenced in the three distinct atrium hotel forms present in the
district.
The district is also significant at the local level of
significance in the area of social history for its strong association with the
modern American civil rights movement in Atlanta. Peachtree Center is noted as the location
of the first documented private dining establishments in the city to open as
fully integrated; the Regency Hyatt House (now the Hyatt Regency Atlanta)
rented its new and modern convention and meeting space to all people,
regardless of race - notably welcoming the meetings of the Southern Christian
Leadership Conference when another downtown hotel rejected them; and the
district served as location of regular meetings of the Atlanta Action Forum, a
local group of influential business and political leaders dedicated to racial
harmony and the continued peaceful development of Atlanta. Peachtree Center
represents the conscious and deliberate shift by the Atlanta business community
in their approach to integration and civil rights during the mid-20th century. Additionally,
the architecture of Peachtree Center represents a movement to build a new
Atlanta that was integrated and socially progressive.
The
National Register of Historic Places is our country's official list of historic
buildings, structures, sites, objects, and districts worthy of preservation.
The National Register provides formal recognition of a property's
architectural, historical, or archaeological significance. It also identifies
historic properties for planning purposes, and insures that these properties
will be considered in the planning of state or federally assisted projects.
National Register listing encourages preservation of historic properties
through public awareness, federal and state tax incentives, and grants. Listing
in the National Register does not place obligations or restrictions on the use,
treatment, transfer, or disposition of private property.
The
Historic Preservation Division (HPD) of the Georgia Department of Natural
Resources serves as Georgia’s state historic preservation office. Its mission
is to promote the preservation and use of historic places for a better Georgia. HPD’s programs include archaeology protection
and education, environmental review, grants, historic resource surveys, tax
incentives, the National Register of Historic Places, community planning and
technical assistance.
The mission of the
Department of Natural Resources is to sustain, enhance, protect and conserve
Georgia’s natural, historic and cultural resources for present and future
generations, while recognizing the importance of promoting the development of
commerce and industry that utilize sound environmental practices.
# # #
For more information contact National Register and Survey
Program Manager Stephanie Cherry-Farmer at 770-389-7843 and stephanie.cherry-farmer@dnr.ga.gov.
For press inquiries contact Historic Preservation Division Outreach Program Manager Allison Asbrock at 770-389-7868 and allison.asbrock@dnr.ga.gov
The above is a news release from the Historic Preservation Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
Releases can be found online at www.georgiashpo.org.
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