Midtown Atlanta | |
|---|---|
 Midtown skyline viewed fromPiedmont Park in 2011 | |
  Midtown Atlanta Midtown location in Central Atlanta | |
| Coordinates:33°47′12″N84°22′46″W / 33.7868014°N 84.3795169°W /33.7868014; -84.3795169 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Georgia |
| County | Fulton County |
| City | Atlanta |
| Council District | 2 (most) |
| NPU | E |
| Neighborhoods | |
| Area | |
• Total | 3.8 sq mi (9.8 km2) |
| • Midtown Core | 1.1 sq mi (2.9 km2) |
| • Midtown Core and Historic Midtown | 1.9 sq mi (4.9 km2) |
| Source:Midtown Alliance | |
| Population (2011 est.)(Greater Midtown) | |
• Total | 41,681 |
| • Density | 11,000/sq mi (4,200/km2) |
| • Midtown Core | 12,916 |
| Source:Midtown Alliance | |
| Daytime workforce | |
| • Midtown Core | 43,347 |
| • Greater Midtown | 81,418 |
| Student population (college/university) | |
| • Midtown Core | 43,347 |
| • Greater Midtown | 81,418 |
| ZIP Codes | 30308–30309 |
| Website | Midtown Alliance |
Midtown Atlanta, orMidtown for short, is ahigh-density commercial and residential neighborhood ofAtlanta,Georgia. The exact geographical extent of the area is ill-defined due to differing definitions used by the city, residents, and local business groups. However, the commercial core of the area is anchored by a series ofhigh-rise office buildings, condominiums, hotels, and high-end retail alongPeachtree Street betweenNorth Avenue and 17th Street.[1] Midtown, situated betweenDowntown to the south andBuckhead to the north, is the second-largest business district inMetro Atlanta. In 2011, Midtown had a resident population of 41,681 and a business population of 81,418.[2]
Midtown has the highest density of art and cultural institutions in theSoutheast,[3] notably including theFox Theatre,Woodruff Arts Center, theHigh Museum of Art, theCenter for Puppetry Arts, theAtlanta Symphony Orchestra, and theMuseum of Design Atlanta. Midtown attracts more than six million visitors annually,[4] mostly in connection with large annual events such as theAtlanta Dogwood Festival,Atlanta Pride,Music Midtown, andGeorgia Tech athletic games.[5] Since the 1990s, Midtown has also been a primary area for high-density development due to the area's mass transit options, urban street grid, and desirability.[4]
The definition and meaning of "Midtown" have varied over time, expanding from an original concept of a small neighborhood midway between Downtown and Buckhead. Boundary definitions vary by source. In many cases, Midtown is a quasi-legal entity for zoning, law enforcement, and tax purposes. It is defined by the City of Atlanta to include the business district along Peachtree Street as well asHistoric Midtown, the residential area east ofPiedmont Avenue and to the south of Piedmont Park.[6][7]
The Midtown Alliance defines a larger, "Greater Midtown" area of approximately four square miles. This includes the area within the city's definition, but splitting it into the sub-areasMidtown Core andMidtown Garden District, i.e.Historic Midtown. It also includes the neighborhoods ofAnsley Park,Sherwood Forest,Atlantic Station,Home Park, andLoring Heights.[6][7]
The area has gone by other names in the past. An 1897 source refers to the area as North Atlanta, which would later be the name of today's city ofBrookhaven. The 1897 "North Atlanta" encompassed (roughly) most of today's Midtown,Georgia Tech, andEnglish Avenue.[8][9][10] Sources from the 1950s and early 1960s refer to the area as "Uptown Atlanta," a moniker which would later be applied instead to Buckhead following its annexation.[11][12]
The southern half of Midtown between 8th Street and North Ave was originally purchased byRichard Peters in 1848 to use the pine forest there for fuel for his downtown flour mill. Over the next 40 years, Peters slowly subdivided sections of these land lots off for a gridded residential area and built his own home there on Peachtree at 4th Street. His son, Edward, built his home on the block bounded by North Avenue,Piedmont Avenue, Ponce de Leon Avenue, and Myrtle Street. The home, now calledIvy Hall, was restored by theSavannah College of Art & Design in 2008 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[13]
After theCivil War, Peachtree between what is now 8th and 12th streets was still about a mile beyond the city limits, which ended at Pine Street.[14] After theAmerican Civil War a shantytown namedTight Squeeze developed at Peachtree at what is now 10th Street. It was infamous for vagrancy, desperation, and robberies of merchants transiting the settlement.[15][16] As Atlanta grew ever further outwards from its historic center, mansions were constructed along Peachtree Street and the area around10th was known asBlooming Hill.[17]
Cross streets were built and residential development began around 1880. Piedmont Park was established with thePiedmont Exposition of 1887, followed by theCotton States and International Exposition of 1895, lending the area new prominence. Electric streetcar lines extended along Piedmont Avenue by 1895 and along Peachtree Street (toBrookwood) by 1900.[17]
In 1904, the development ofAnsley Park began.[17] By the 1920s,Tenth and Peachtree had become the nexus of asignificant shopping district for the surrounding neighborhood.[18] The 1910Encyclopædia Britannica listed Peachtree Street in Midtown as one of the finest residential areas of the city, along with Ponce de Leon Circle (now Ponce de Leon Avenue),Washington Street, andInman Park.
TheDowntown Connector freeway opened in the 1950s, and the blocks between Williams Street and Techwood Drive were demolished to make way for it. In 1959Lenox Square and in 1964,Ansley Mall opened, and theTenth Street shopping district went into decline. By the late 1960s, Peachtree Street between Eighth and Fourteenth Streets had become a center of hippie culture known asThe Strip[19][17][20]
Large-scale commercial development began withColony Square, the firstmixed-use development in the Southeast, which was built between 1969 and 1973. TheMARTA subway line opened in 1981. In the 1980s, many older properties were demolished, some remaining vacant for decades. High-density commercial and residential development took root in the north–south corridor along Peachtree and West Peachtree. The BellSouth Center (1982), now theAT&T Midtown Center, was long the landmark skyscraper in the area. However, commercial development escalated after 1987, whenOne Atlantic Center was completed.
The 2000s decade saw the construction of numerous high-rise condo buildings in Midtown, such as theSpire, Viewpoint, and1010 Midtown. In 2006, then-MayorShirley Franklin set in motion a plan to make the 14-block stretch ofPeachtree Street a street-level shopping destination.[21][22] The 2004 opening of the Seventeenth Street Bridge over theDowntown Connector reconnected Midtown with the west side of the city and to theAtlantic Station mixed-use development, which was built on the former site of the Atlantic Steel company.
The Midtown Alliance, a group of volunteers, employees, and business and community members, was formed in 1978 in order to work towards improving the overall quality of life in Midtown and transform it into an ideal place for people to actively live, work, and play. Activities of the Alliance include improving neighborhood safety, developing area arts and education programs, and building community leaders. The master plan from the Alliance, called Blueprint Midtown, is credited with fueling the economic resurgence that has helped the once downtrodden Midtown area transform over the past number of years into a popular neighborhood.[23]
A 2011Creative Loafing article claimed that:[24]
No part of the city has evolved more dramatically over the past two decades ... Impersonal office buildings, imposing parking decks and cold asphalt arteries have given way to high-rise living and an explosion of street life ... Where once there was a wasteland, now there are great restaurants, groceries, specialty shops, townhouses, lofts, and ... people.
In the early 1980s, Midtown Atlanta was a blighted area mainly consisting of parking lots. By 1987,One Atlantic Center was built on the corner of West Peachtree Street and 14th Street, which kick-started the redevelopment of the area. Some contemporary buildings of note are:
In the area surroundingPeachtree Street, very little of the original architecture was preserved. Some of the notable exceptions listed on theNational Register of Historic Places include theMargaret Mitchell House,Rhodes Hall,Edward C. Peters House, and theAcademy of Medicine.
Historic districts include theFox Theatre Historic District andHistoric Midtown; both are listed on theNational Register of Historic Places. The Fox Theatre Historic District comprises theFox Theatre (Oliver Vinour et al., 1929),William Lee Stoddart'sGeorgian Terrace Hotel (1911), Stoddart'sItalianate Ponce de Leon Apartments (1913), and theCox-Carlton Hotel (1925). Historic Midtown, which includes most of Midtown east ofPiedmont Avenue, is noted for itsbungalows andQueen Anne style houses.
Midtown's focal point is the expansive greenspace ofPiedmont Park, which underwent a major expansion in 2011. The park is surrounded by the Midtown business district to its west, Ansley Park to its northwest, theBeltLine,Morningside, andVirginia Highland to its east, and the Midtown Historic District to its south. TheAtlanta Botanical Garden adjoins the Park.
TheBeltLine is a 22-mile-long (35 km) trail circling the older neighborhoods of central Atlanta which will be developed in stages. The BeltLineEastside Trail connects Piedmont Park (at the intersection of 10th and Monroe) to theInman ParkMARTA station at DeKalb Avenue.[27] The"Art on the BeltLine" project has resulted in the installation of several contemporary art pieces on the trail.
Midtown Atlanta is a commercial district in its own right, containing 22 million square feet (2,000,000 m2) of office space,[4] with 8.2 million square feet (760,000 m2) of office space added to the area since 1997, with up to 3.8 million square feet (350,000 m2) more planned.[28] Furthermore, Midtown is home to many corporate headquarters, such asEquifax,[29]EarthLink,[30]Invesco,[31]The Coca-Cola Company,[32]NCR, andCNN/Warner Bros. Discovery, as well as other corporations with a sizeable presence, such asNorfolk Southern,Wells Fargo,PriceWaterhouseCoopers,[33] andAT&T Inc.[34]
Carter's, Inc. had its headquarters in Midtown but moved toBuckhead in 2013.[35] Regional offices for companies such asGoogle,Arcapita, andJason's Deli are located in Midtown.[36][37][38] Major law firms such asKing & Spalding[39] and Kilpatrick & Stockton[40] are also located in Midtown. In April 2019, the largestWhole Foods Market in thesoutheastern United States opened in Midtown.[41]
Midtown is also home to a share ofAtlanta's diplomatic missions. TheConsulate-General of Canada is located at100 Colony Square Building,[42] as is the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency.[43] TheConsulate-General of Switzerland in Atlanta is located in the Two Midtown Plaza building.[44] TheTaipei Economic and Cultural Office,representing the Republic of China, is located in theAtlantic Center Plaza.[45] TheConsulate-General of Israel to the Southeast is also located in Midtown.[46] From 1995 to 2002, theConsulate-General of Japan in Atlanta was in Colony Square before moving to Buckhead.[47][48]
Immediately adjacent to Midtown on the southeast side along the BeltLine are the largePonce City Market lifestyle center in the former Sears building, Midtown Promenadepower center withHome Depot and other big box stores, and Midtown Place community shopping center with aTrader Joe's and a cinema multiplex.Atlantic Station a large regional mall and lifestyle center, and the community-sizeAnsley Mall are adjacent to Midtown's north end. Some retail shops are located along Peachtree Street but the area has not been a major shopping destination since the 1960s and a boulevard of upscale shops envisioned in 2006 never came to establish itself.[19][21]burgeoning restaurant scene buoyed by lunch crowds from employees of the surrounding businesses.
Midtown is known by many residents as Atlanta's "Heart of the Arts". It is the home of theFerst Center for Arts,Fox Theatre, theWoodruff Arts Center, theAtlanta Botanical Garden, theRichard Meier- andRenzo Piano-designedHigh Museum of Art, as well as theAtlanta Ballet,Atlanta Symphony Orchestra,Center for Puppetry Arts, and other arts and entertainment venues. Recently, theWoodruff Arts Center and its campus were expanded. Future additions will include a newAtlanta Symphony Center.
The High Museum of Art has collaborated with major art museums to house temporary collections of masterpieces, most notably theLouvre and theMetropolitan Museum of Art. Across the street from the High is theMuseum of Design Atlanta (MODA), the onlymuseum in the Southeast devoted exclusively to the study and celebration of all things design. Midtown is the home of the Atlanta campus ofSavannah College of Art and Design, which is located in historic buildings throughout the district.
Midtown's Piedmont Park is a popular venue for cultural festivals in Atlanta. Every spring, when the native dogwoods are in bloom in Piedmont Park, is theAtlanta Dogwood Festival, an arts and crafts fair. Piedmont Park is the finish line of thePeachtree Road Race, held annually onIndependence Day. As ground zero for the Atlanta arts community, Midtown is home to the annual Atlanta Arts Festival, which brings artists from across the country to Piedmont Park. Piedmont Park is the home of the Southeast's largest multicultural festival,Festival Peachtree Latino, which celebrates Hispanic-American culture with arts and crafts, family activities, sporting events, a parade, dance demonstrations, ethnic foods, and a live music stage featuring international performers from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic.
Midtown is the home of Atlanta's major music festival,Music Midtown, which was revived in 2011 after a five-year hiatus. At the corner of 8th Street and Spring Street, near the Midtown MARTA station, Midtown hosts the Peachtree Music Festival, a one-day, two-stage music festival blendingindie rock bands with electronic DJs. In the fall, theAtlanta Pride festival attracts theLGBT local and regional community while the week-longOut on Film gay film festival highlights films by, for, and about the LGBT community.[49]
Residents are zoned to schools in theAtlanta Public Schools.
In addition, the campuses ofGeorgia Institute of Technology,John Marshall Law School, and the Atlanta division of theSavannah College of Art and Design are located in Midtown.
Midtown Atlanta is served by Atlanta's rail rapid transit system,MARTA, at theNorth Avenue,Midtown, andArts Center MARTA Stations. MARTA operates a significant bus service in the district.[50] There is a free shuttle between the Arts Center MARTA Station and Atlantic Station, and a free-to-the-public daytime shuttle between the Midtown MARTA station andGeorgia Tech.[51]
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Ecodistricts are being implemented in leading cities around the world and Midtown has just completed a process to createAtlanta's first ecodistrict.
The Midtown Ecodistrict was created in 2012 as a platform for the community to collaborate on initiatives that results in improved environmental and economic performance. The program focuses on measurement on sustainability methods throughout the company. Green operational practices in the areas of energy, water, transportation and waste were implemented in an effort to make Midtown one of the most livable, vibrant and sustainable districts in the country.
In 2014, Midtown Alliance (who created the ecodistrict) decided to highlight business and buildings in Midtown that have made a significant commitment to green practices. This district is heavily urbanized (buildings, shops,skyscraper andhotels). Midtown also serves cyclists and pedestrians with 5 miles of bike lanes. The restaurants established in Midtown are recycling and composting at least 95% . 50 recycling cans have been installed.
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