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A vision
47 years ago went beyond
just a building. In
1960, renowned architect
John Portman built the
Merchandise Mart. It
would go on to overlook
some of Atlanta’s
signature
Portman-designed
buildings in Downtown,
including
SunTrust
Plaza,
Peachtree Center
and the
Hyatt Regency
Atlanta.
As the
largest wholesale
marketplace of its kind
in the world, with
576,000 square meters
(6.2 million square
feet) of facilities, the
Merchandise Mart
attracts nearly 600,000
people per year. A large
exhibition can draw more
than 110,000 people to
the complex. In 2005,
the mart contributed
$478 million to the
Atlanta economy, more
than the Super Bowl – an
epic American sporting
event – held here in
2001, which added $292
million to the area’s
economy. The mart
typically fills more
hotel rooms every year
than any other type of
convention or large
group meeting, and its
success spawned hotels,
offices, restaurants and
later the mixed use
buildings that allow
Atlantans to live, work
and play in one
convenient location.
Portman’s
Hyatt Regency, 40 years
old, introduced the
atrium concept to hotel
architecture and topped
off the 22-story marvel
with a revolving
restaurant made of blue
Plexiglas. Its success
quickly prompted the
expansion of two
adjacent towers,
creating an additional
200 and 350 rooms,
respectively, to go with
the 800 rooms in the
original tower.
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| John Portman’s Hyatt Regency Atlanta Hotel, with its signature blue domed rotating Polaris Restaurant, once offered scenic views of the city and nearby neighborhoods when it opened in 1967. Today it stands in the shadows of modern Atlanta’s newest skyscrapers. |
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Today,
the hotel is the heart
of Peachtree Center,
Atlanta’s largest
mixed-use complex,
consisting of 1.76
million square meters
(18.9 million square
feet). It’s an evolving
project that encompasses
14 blocks with an
additional office tower
now in the design stage.
The area includes 10
office buildings, three
large convention hotels,
AmericasMart (opened in
1979 and expanded in
1989), a retail mall, a
large health club, and
integral parking.
Several interior and
exterior plazas and
parks display major
sculptures, and all are
accessible at street
level. The area is close
to the
Georgia World
Congress Center, a large
exhibition hall that
opened in 1976.
Since the
opening of the Hyatt
Regency, when Atlanta
had fewer than 5,000
hotel rooms, the
metropolitan area now
has close to 90,000
hotel rooms and attracts
more than 3 million
people a year for
conventions and trade
shows.
The
visions of the
Merchandise Mart, the
Hyatt Regency and
Peachtree Center led to
the vision of
Atlanta’s
Hartsfield-Jackson
International Airport,
which energized the
growth of Atlanta into
one of the United
States’ largest, most
dynamic cities. Future
issues of Atlanta ROI*
will show how visions
became realities and
invite you to add your
vision to Atlanta.
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