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  Atlanta Civic Center Location within Atlanta Show map of Atlanta Atlanta Civic Center Atlanta Civic Center (Georgia) Show map of Georgia Atlanta Civic Center Atlanta Civic Center (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Full name | Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center |
|---|---|
| Former names | Atlanta Civic Center (1967–2001) |
| Coordinates | 33°46′01″N84°22′54″W / 33.76699°N 84.38157°W /33.76699; -84.38157 |
| Owner | City of Atlanta |
| Operator | City of Atlanta's Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs |
| Type | Civic Center/Theater |
| Seating type | Theater |
| Capacity | 4,600 seats |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1967; 58 years ago (1967) |
| Renovated | 2001 at a cost of $2 million[1] |
| Closed | October 21, 2014 |
| Tenants | |
| SciTrek (1988–2004) Family Feud (2011–2015) | |
| Website | |
| atlantaciviccenter.com | |
TheAtlanta Civic Center is atheater located inAtlanta,Georgia. The theater, which seats 4,600, regularly hosted touring productions ofBroadway musicals, concerts, seminars, comedy acts, and high school graduations and commencement ceremonies forAtlanta's John Marshall Law School. In addition to performances, thecivic center could hostconferences and exhibits as well, with 5,800 square feet (540 m2) of meeting space. The civic center was owned and operated by the Atlanta city government's Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, but brought in enough revenue to be self-supporting.[2] The theater closed in 2014.
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The Atlanta Civic Center was built in 1967 on the site of Ripley Street and part of Currier Street in theButtermilk Bottom community. It was partly built as the city'sconvention center, but was quickly superseded in 1976 by the state-runGeorgia World Congress Center.[3] It once hosted the annual Spring Tour of the Metropolitan Opera and served as the home of "Theatre of the Stars", a summer series of Broadway musicals featuring well-known stars of the entertainment industry.The Balanchine production of "The Nutcracker" was performed there annually for several years. The Civic Center also served as the site for the1996 Summer Olympics cultural program.
In 2000, it hosted theJeopardy! Tournament of Champions with Georgian Robin Carroll winning.
The Atlanta Civic Center underwent a $2 million renovation in 2001[4] and added "Boisfeuillet Jones" to its name in honor of Atlanta businessman and philanthropistBoisfeuillet Jones, Sr. In 2003, the Civic Center became the host for theAtlanta Opera, which moved to theCobb Energy Center in suburbanCobb County in 2007.
The back parking lot was where the99x stage was located during theMusic Midtown Festival. During the 2002 festival,Turner South hosted an indoor televised concert.
On July 22, 2005, it hosted PresidentGeorge W. Bush when he spoke to an invitation-only crowd about changes in Medicare. He was introduced by GovernorSonny Perdue and also accompanied by his motherBarbara Bush and U.S. senatorsSaxby Chambliss andJohnny Isakson.
In May 2007 it was revealed that the city was consideringdemolition of the facility, in addition to the neighboringSciTrek, replacing them with a newperforming arts center.SciTrek did close, but the Civic Center remained in operation.
In 2008, thePeachtree Road Race stage and finish festival were moved here when Piedmont Park was deemed off-limits because of drought conditions, as were other large events normally held in Piedmont Park such asAtlanta Pride. On October 18, 2008, the center hosted the 2008BET Hip Hop Awards.
In April 2011, in honor of theAtlanta Georgia Temple rededication, over 2,000 youth ofthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) performed in a youth cultural celebration entitled "Southern Lights". ChurchpresidentThomas S. Monson enjoyed the performance along with other Church leaders, including ElderM. Russell Ballard, Walter F. González andWilliam R. Walker.[1]
Family Feud taped at the Atlanta Civic Center from 2011 to 2015, before moving to theGeorgia World Congress Center.
In March 2022, theAtlanta Housing Authority was seeking a developer to transform and repurpose the 19-acre site.[2] However, the engagement and withdrawal of development companies has slowed down progress.[3]
The Atlanta Housing (AH) board of commissioners expects to finally choose a master developer next month for the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center, over four years after the housing authority bought the iconic Old Fourth Ward site, which has sat vacant for eight years. AH officials are now interviewing a shortlist of five candidates to develop the 19-acre site, AH's CEO, Eugene Jones, told Atlanta Civic Circle on Friday.
Tishman Speyer, the New York-based development firm recently tapped alongside local construction company H.J. Russell & Co. to overhaul Old Fourth Ward's long-dormant Atlanta Civic Center site, blindsided Atlanta Housing (AH) officials last week by withdrawing from the project, housing authority CEO Eugene Jones announced on Tuesday.
^ Witt, Richard and Brendan Segar. March 3, 2006. "Bid farewell to that '70s show: Cobb's center's time has come and gone."Atlanta Journal-Constitution.[5]