DOCOMOMO/US, Georgia Chapter News

To the City of Atlanta: It is encouraging to see progress made towards implementation of long-anticipated transportation plans. That progress was made clear when the City of Atlanta, along with a variety of partners, signed the Beltline Framework agreement in March 2009. This kind of collaboration is necessary to solve Atlanta’s growing transportation problems.

The Beltline Framework includes a number of items that will make the Beltline possible, including redefining the function of the downtown Multimodal Passenger Terminal (MMPT). DOCOMOMO Georgia believes that this reevaluation of the terminal design is an opportunity to seriously consider rehabilitation and adaptive use of the historic Atlanta Constitution Building.

While existing plans for the MMPT (that predate the recent agreement) include demolition of the Constitution Building to make way for passenger platforms, we understand that new platform arrangements under consideration may provide an opportunity for integration of the Constitution building into terminal plans, providing opportunities for development of retail and office space. We also believe that the Constitution Building could be adapted for below street access to and from the MARTA Five Points station, and that a rehabilitated Constitution Building could become an around-the-clock asset, not just a train platform - abandoned after rush hour.

Research of public records conducted by the DOCOMOMO Georgia indicates that GDOT planners never considered adaptive use of the building a real option, even after the   structure was found eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. Now is the time to seriously consider adaptive use of the Atlanta Constitution Building.

Why preservation is important

The Constitution Building’s value as a historic resource cannot be questioned: It is the largest and most significant remaining Moderne-style structure in Atlanta; it was designed by Robert and Company during Ralph McGill’s tenure at the newspaper; and it served for decades as the Atlanta headquarters of the Georgia Power Company.

It is clear that there is substantial support for preservation. The Constitution Building has been listed on the Atlanta Preservation Center’s list of endangered places since 2003, and the movement to preserve the building has been the subject of several newspaper articles. DOCOMOMO Georgia has collected over nine hundred signatures in support of preservation of the building.

Many significant changes have occurred affecting both downtown Atlanta and the expectations for the MMPT since the early 1990’s: The Atlanta Constitution Building was acknowledged as eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995; plans for the MMPT have been drastically scaled back (and likely will not include high-speed rail service and perhaps eliminate Amtrak service as well); there is now a better understanding of the negative environmental impact when large buildings are demolished; and the impact of the Beltline upon the MMPT is only now being considered, since the concept did not exist when initial studies were conducted.

What can be done?

DOCOMOMO Georgia believes that the earlier finding of no significant impact (FONSI) prepared during initial design of the MMPT in 1995 and updated during 2000 was incomplete at the time and is severely outdated.  It does not include consideration of the impact of the Beltline upon the design; the increased awareness and understanding of the historic significance of the Constitution Building, given the additional years since the first evaluation; nor the significant environmental impact of such a large demolition project.

DOCOMOMO Georgia therefore encourages the City of Atlanta to request that the GDOT reconsider the MMPT FONSI for these reasons, and to include serious consideration of adaptive use of the historic Constitution Building as part of this reevaluation, before finalizing turnover of the property to the GDOT. Continue Reading »