Atlanta Development Threatens Modernist Buildings

With a history of bulldozing older buildings to accommodate the new, it is not surprising that many modernist structures are threatened by Atlanta's growth. The question remains, are these buildings people want to save?

1 minute read

July 5, 2006, 6:00 AM PDT

By Alex Pearlstein

"In metro Atlanta and around the state, modernist buildings erected from the 1950s to the 1970s -- from featureless slab skyscrapers to wacky cylindrical bank branches â€" are quickly succumbing to the wrecking ball."

"The demise of the architecturally cool, the curious and the offbeat is driven by several factors, say a small group of architects and preservationists. Among them: Atlanta's condo craze and the hunger for prime real estate it creates, especially in Midtown and downtown, and decay (many of the structures are approaching 50)."

Many locals and in-town development boosters see the clearing of non-descript modernist buildings as a sign of progress. But fans of the style fret that Atlanta may one day regret destroying its eclectic mix of modern architectural history.

FULL STORY: Condos crushing modern buildings

Sunday, July 2, 2006 in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Architecture History / Preservation Urban Development Georgia

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