The Atlanta Constitution Building opened in 1947 as the most innovatively designed newspaper headquarters in the country. Designed by Atlanta-based architectural firm Robert & Company at a cost of $3.0 million, the five-story Art Moderne Building with curvilinear walls, horizontal bands of windows, and understated exterior ornamentation housed the Atlanta Constitution newspaper, WCON radio station, WCON-TV station, and ground-floor retail space.
By 1955, the merger of the Atlanta Constitution and Atlanta Journal newspapers led to the decision to vacate the building. Although Georgia Power and other occupants used the building in subsequent years, the Atlanta Constitution Building has been vacant since 1972. Neglect has taken a toll on the building with the removal of exterior windows, proliferation of graffiti, fire damage, and growth of trees on the rooftop.
After a decade of false starts, plans are underway for the rehabilitation of the Atlanta Constitution Building. The project team includes the Atlanta office of design firm Gensler and multi-family developer Gorman & Company, in collaboration with the City of Atlanta and Invest Atlanta. Given the building’s history and proximity to the Five Points MARTA Station, Centennial Yards, and the South Downtown district, Gensler Studio Director Doug Schuette notes, “Our firm is thrilled to be a part of revitalizing Downtown Atlanta.”
Phase I of the project involves the transformation of the historic building core and shell into a mixed-use destination called Folio House. To activate the pedestrian experience in Downtown Atlanta, Folio House will feature an interactive retail space on the ground floor. The upper floors will contain 50 affordable units, including studios and one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments. Oversized windows retrofitted to fit the original openings will offer sweeping city views.
Gensler Project Architect Laura Sherman observes that the original building design and architectural drawings inspire their work: “We are committed to respecting the historic design, salvaging building elements, and gaining design cues from the historic building for this project.”
Construction crews are currently stabilizing and preparing the structure for renovation work. Historic features from the Atlanta Constitution Building, such as the curved form and brick pattern, inform Gensler’s Phase 2 design for a future adjoining residential building adjacent to the landmark.
Addressing Mayor Andre Dickens’ goal for more affordable housing across the city by 2030, Gorman & Company Development Project Manager Mira Kaufman calls the project with fifty mixed-income affordable housing units “a stepping stone for more equitable housing across the city.”
With a skilled design and development team in place and a recent nomination of the building for the National Register of Historic Places, the page has finally turned for this decades-old eyesore to have a brighter future.
For more information about the Atlanta Constitution Building/Folio House project, tune into the Uplifting Places podcast hosted by Melody Harclerode.