Key points:
- Former CNN Center to undergo massive, multi-use transformation in the years to come.
- Long-term plans could include a residential component for The Center, making use of the former hotel rooms that overlook the indoor courtyard.
- Downtown Atlanta food hall CTR Food Works opens in late May at The Center.
A theme park; a hotel; Burt Reynolds’ 1970s nightclub; and a hockey arena — the million-square-foot-plus space at 190 Marietta St. held multiple identities before Ted Turner and CNN claimed it in 1985. Now called The Center, the downtown Atlanta office and hotel complex is on the precipice of another new era.
“Even before [CNN took over], this was a mixed-use development,” said Ryan Howard, Senior Vice President of Construction and Development for the CP Group, which backs The Center. “We don’t want to ignore the past, but we also really want to focus on what’s new in the next chapter.”
Saying The Center has a lot of workable material is an understatement. CNN’s exit from downtown Atlanta in 2024 provides hundreds of thousands of square feet in office, retail, restaurant, and even residential space. Pair that with built-in parking and a Downtown development boom and The Center becomes an asset for Atlantans and tourists alike.
A new Downtown chapter
The days of downtown Atlanta needing 900,000 square feet of office space are coming to a close. Shifting business operations and newsroom models have dwindled the demand for office and studio spaces. This gives developers and commercial landlords in Atlanta opportunities to retrofit these buildings for other industries, including retail and restaurants.
“Our goal is to open [The Center] back up to the public and make it more of an asset,” Howard said. “And there’s been overwhelmingly positive reaction from those audiences of this space with an area that can be activated.”
The CTR Food Works food hall will open in late May at The Center with 11 restaurant stalls and a 60-seat bar. However, more than 90% of The Center still remains unoccupied.
Filling the space
At the moment, The Center’s most overt opportunities are housing and hospitality. Balconies leading to empty, easily convertible units line The Center’s southeast and southwest towers. A quick glance from higher stories in the towers immediately evokes a cyberpunk city where one could imagine a community of residents and businesses throughout the complex, complete with patio chairs and houseplants perched on former hotel room balconies.
“We are hoping to do a conversion to residential hospitality,” Howard said. “It’s kind of a hybrid platform of everything from sort of traditional multifamily to hotel and stuff in between, because this area does require kind of a nuanced hospitality solution.”
A representative from CP Group told Rough Draft that long-term residential plans are in early development. These plans include affordable apartments, which could provide housing for Downtown’s growing service industry workforce.
Related stories:
• Former CNN Center to get extensive mixed-use makeover
• Filipino restaurant Estrellita relocating to South Downtown
• All FIFA World Cup 2026 Coverage
Next for The Center
Earlier in April, the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs unveiled ATL Culture House, which will reside at The Center starting in June, ahead of the World Cup.
The Center’s potential also creates a symbiotic relationship to convention complexes like the Georgia World Congress Center and Downtown attractions, like the World of Coke, Georgia Aquarium, College Football Hall of Fame, and National Center for Civil and Human Rights.
The food hall and future and current activations at The Center, such as ATL Culture House, could become part of a wider connected vision for Downtown benefiting both locals and tourists.
