For 50 years, the building at the heart of downtown Atlanta has carried a single name and a singular identity. On Wednesday, May 20, it got a new one.
The former CNN Center officially reopened as The CTR, a reimagined mixed-use destination anchored in art, food, community, and culture, as city leaders, developers, and local artists gathered inside the building's revamped atrium to mark the milestone.
“This building watched the Olympics come to its front lawn,†said Chris Eachus, a Founding Partner at CP Group, which purchased and redeveloped the property. “It served sandwiches in this food court to high schoolers on field trips, who are now bringing their own kids downtown.â€
Eachus framed the occasion not as a grand opening, but as a reunion between Atlanta and an old friend. The building first opened in 1976 as the Omni International Complex and was transformed in 1987 when Ted Turner converted it into CNN's global headquarters. Turner died two weeks ago. Members of his family attended the reopening ceremony.
“There are no words equal to what Atlanta owes Ted, or what the world owes Ted,†Eachus said. “Today is the beginning, not the end, of how we need to honor him.â€
CP Group has invested more than $200 million into the building's renovation, including a redesigned atrium and a new food hall, with commissioned murals and public art installations created by Atlanta artists. The iconic CNN letters at the building's entrance have been replaced with ATL, a piece created by SCAD graduate Michael Porton. An artist residency and cultural programming hub called CTR Culture Studios will anchor the building's creative identity going forward.
The World Cup arrives in Atlanta in 26 days, and The CTR is already positioning itself as a destination for the estimated millions of fans expected to flood the city. An Official FIFA Merchandising Store has opened inside the building, one of five metro Atlanta locations.Â
Collins said the Atlantic Station location, which opened the prior weekend, posted record first-day numbers. The CTR location opened this week.
Bem Joiner, a co-founder of Atlanta Influnces Everything and a consultant hired to oversee art and culture programming at The CTR, said the goal was to give Atlanta's creative economy a permanent home.
“People will say, ‘Take me to where the creatives are,' and there has not been one place,†Joiner said. “The center could be a centering place for the creative economy.â€
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens linked the reopening to a broader wave of downtown revitalization, noting that Centennial Yards, Five Points, and South Downtown are all in active development.
“Downtown is where Atlanta shows up for the world, and right now the world is getting ready to show up for Atlanta,†Dickens said.
Dr. Eloisa Clementich, president and CEO of Invest Atlanta, pointed to more than $15 billion in combined investment across roughly eight major development projects within a mile and a half of The CTR, with a projected 8,500 new residential units on the way, 30% of which will be affordable housing.
A formal grand opening is scheduled for June.
“You can't make new old friends,†Eachus said, “but you can make sure the old ones feel like themselves again. Welcome back.â€
