Peachtree Center is a district located inDowntown Atlanta,Georgia. Most of the structures that make up the district were designed by Atlanta architectJohn C. Portman Jr. A defining feature of the Peachtree Center is a network of enclosed pedestriansky bridges suspended above the street-level, which have garnered criticism for discouraging pedestrian street life.[1] The district is served by thePeachtree CenterMARTA station, providing access torapid transit.
Intended to be the new downtown for Atlanta, Peachtree Center emerged as a distinct district in the early 1970s as a networked realm of convention hotels, shopping galleries, and office buildings a quarter-mile north of Five Points. Peachtree Center is notable for its uniform embodiment of themodern architectural style popular at the time. Yet the defining feature of Peachtree Center is its insular orientation, which allows patrons and workers to avoid interacting with the street level by traversing the area through sky bridges. By the mid-1980s, Peachtree Center had become the core of a dedicated hotel-convention district that lay at the heart of the Downtown economy, even as the remainder of Downtown Atlanta deteriorated markedly.[2]
While at the time Peachtree Center was considered the salvation of a decaying downtown Atlanta, contemporary city planning is highly critical of such insular environments that "turn their back" on the city streets.[3] Thus, as intown Atlanta began its post-1990 resurgence, Peachtree Center was increasingly criticized as an area that epitomized contemporary Atlanta's generic urbanity and sense of placelessness.[4] Other critics claim that Peachtree Center is disorienting, killed downtown street-life, and disregarded the existing urban context.[5]
The center was recognized for its architecture with listing on theNational Register of Historic Places in 2018.[6]
| Name | Height | Floors | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peachtree Center Tower 230 Peachtree Street | 116 m (381 ft) | 31 floors | 1965 | [7][8] |
| Peachtree Center North (Gas Light Tower) 235 Peachtree Street | 101 m (331 ft) | 27 floors | 1968 | [9][10] |
| Peachtree Center South 225 Peachtree Street | 101 m (331 ft) | 27 floors | 1970 | [11][12] |
| Hyatt Regency Atlanta | 104 m (341 ft) | 24 floors | 1967 | [13][14] |
| Harris Tower 233 Peachtree Center NE | 116 m (381 ft) | 31 floors | 1974 | [15][16] |
| Peachtree Center International Tower (Cain Tower) 229 Peachtree Street NE | 115 m (377 ft) | 30 floors | 1976 | [17][18] |
| Marquis I 245 Peachtree Center NE | 115 m (377 ft) | 30 floors | 1985 | [19][20] |
| Marquis II 285 Peachtree Center NE | 115 m (377 ft) | 30 floors | 1989 | [21][22] |
| Peachtree Athletic Club 227 Courtland Street NE | 9 floors | 1985 | [23] | |
| Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel 210 Peachtree Street NW | 220.5 m (723 ft) | 73 floors | 1976 | |
| Atlanta Marriott Marquis 265 Peachtree Center Avenue NE | 169 m (554 ft) | 52 floors | 1985 | |
| AmericasMart Various Addresses | Various Heights | 1961, 1979, 1992, 2008 | ||
| Truist Plaza 303 Peachtree Street NE | 265 m (869 ft) | 60 floors | 1992 | |
| American Cancer Society Center 250 Williams Street NW | 10 floors | 1989 |
TheU.S. Census Bureau has its Atlanta Regional Census Center in Suite 1000 in the Marquis Two Tower.[24] Several additional U.S. Government agencies have their southeast regional offices located in the Harris Tower, including the Department of Transportation, Department of Labor, Small Business Administration, and Internal Revenue Service.
TheConsulate-General of Argentina is located in Suite 2101 in the Marquis One Tower.[25][26] TheConsulate-General of Germany is located in Suite 901 of the Marquis Two Tower.[27] TheConsulate-General of South Korea is located in Suite 500 in the International Tower.[28]
33°45′37″N84°23′16″W / 33.7604°N 84.3877°W /33.7604; -84.3877