Colony Square, located in the heart of Midtown Atlanta, was constructed in the early 1970s as Atlanta's original mixed-use project.
At the corner of Peachtree and 14th Streets, Colony Square is not only the heart of Midtown, it's the heart of Atlanta - an original icon at the very center of the ever-rising capital of the modern South. Today, Colony Square is becoming an icon of another kind, bringing the Art of Modern Life to Midtown. With two office towers totaling 720,000 square feet, residential condos, a 467-room hotel and a 163,000-square-foot retail center, Colony Square is a sophisticated business, residential and cultural hotspot, that like all great city squares, is alive with possibility. The reimagined Colony Square will be known as a foodie haven; a shopping mecca; an events destination; a beautiful, amenity-rich and arts-infused place to gather with community and soak up Midtown's vibe. Open, walkable and transit-friendly, the reimagined Colony Square will be seamlessly connected to the vibrant energy of the streets around it. For more information, visit colonysquaremidtown.com.
MUSIC Atlanta, Georgia, the gateway of the South. It's home to the world's busiest airport. MUSIC And the headquarters for big names MUSIC This Southern metropolis has long been known for its urban sprawl. MUSIC But it's now experiencing an explosive in-town revitalization. MUSIC With nearly 90,000 people moving to Metro Atlanta every year, growth is skyrocketing and with it a new skyline. MUSIC Nowhere is the urban pulse heard louder than in Midtown. MUSIC The pioneering epicenter of the movement upward. MUSIC Just ask long-term resident Brenda Galena. Midtown was nothing. So we have seen the whole renaissance of Midtown and it continues every day. I love the accessibility, accessibility to the arts, the restaurants, accessibility to walking. I see people stuck on the highway. I feel sorry for them. In the early 1900s, Midtown was a booming neighborhood. But as urban America declined after World War II, so too did Midtown. The streets became bleak and seedy until some urban planners started laying the framework for a slow but massive transformation. Within Midtown's 3. 1 square kilometer footprint, there are 20,000 residents and at least 30 major development projects underway. I'mark Toro, managing partner of North American Properties. I'm a Midtown resident and we are reimagining Colony Square. Mark Toro is equal parts Midtown developer and resident. Midtown's my heart and soul. I'm out there banging the dr He's renovating Colony Square, one of the first live, work, play concepts that gave rise to inner city living 50 years ago. Colony Square was ahead of its time with 262 condomini It had that kind of recreational feel. The key flaw as it was developed for a different time and place was that it was built as a bunker. It wanted to turn its back on the street because the streets of Midtown were not what they are today. It was not a pretty place through the 60s, 70s, 80s and even the 90s. Now it's time for Colony Square to catch up with Midtown. Now we're seeking to make it more porous and invite people in, create Midtown's living room. The entire projected cost is roughly $360 million to be completed by 2020. The reimagined Colony Square will be 160,000 square feet of retail including a boutique cinema and food hall, seven or eight restaurants, 10 or 12 retailers and most importantly public realm. So it's about bistro life, it's about cafes and live music and tonight we're doing jazz in the sky. When we first moved from a suburban community car neighbor said to us, why would you go there, isn't it scary, isn't it this, isn't it that, it's all those things and it's great. John Defterius, 1 square meter, CNN.
