We'd bet that if you ask the average Atlantan (or do a Google image search) about the Atlanta History Center on West Paces Ferry Road just down the street from Nathan Deal's place, the first image that pops into their head is the Swan Coach House. And while the iconic house is a part of the complex, it's a relatively small part of a campus that spans some 33-acres. That reality is surely one of the factors driving an ambitious effort to re-imagine the AHC by its board. The headline: with $100,000 from the Cousins Foundation, they have sponsored an international competition to redesign the main building, with the finalists narrowed down to, among others, a team from MSTSD Inc. of Atlanta and Kallman McKinnell & Wood Architects of Boston; Stanley Beaman & Sears of Atlanta; and Pfeiffer Partners Architects of New York and L.A. Of course, there is some heavy lifting to be done in the fundraising department before any new buildings are constructed: a $27.4 million fundraising campaign is underway. Thus far, the Coca Cola Philanthropy Complex (aka the Woodruff Foundation and the Coca Cola Company) have stepped up to the tune of about $6 million. Time- and the short-to-medium term fate of the economy- will tell how long the Swan Coach House will continue to visually define the AHC.
· Atlanta History Center looks to future with capital campaign, new look and new CEO [Saporta Report]
· Atlanta History Center facing major transformation [BuckheadView]
· Atlanta History Center [official site]