The Atlanta Opera held a groundbreaking ceremony on Feb. 16 for its new headquarters in Buckhead.

The $64 million Molly Blank Center for Opera and the Arts will include the historic Bobby Jones Golf Course Clubhouse, which will be preserved as a main entryway into the new campus.

Renderings show the new Molly Blank Center for Opera and the preservation of the circa-1941 Bobby Jones Golf Course Clubhouse as part of the new campus. (Renderings courtesy of the Atlanta Opera)

The arts center will include administrative offices, rehearsal areas, a theater, a 200-seat recital hall, and education spaces. The Atlanta Opera will continue to utilize the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center as its main stage for large productions.

The center will overlook the golf course and is adjacent to the Atlanta Beltline Northwest Connector Trail.

Funding for the project came from a $110 million fundraising campaign, which included a $27.5 million gift from Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank to name the center after his mother, Molly Blank, who was an artist.

The new center is expected to open in the fall of 2027.


Collin Kelley is the executive editor of Atlanta Intown, Georgia Voice, and the Rough Draft newsletter. He has been a journalist for nearly four decades and is also an award-winning poet and novelist.