We tried, we really did. The fact that the Corey Tower — that big, white smokestack alongside the Downtown Connector — is being turned into a massive digital billboard absolutely begs for a rendering. It demands one, really, if only to get a better sense of perspective. Alas, there flat out aren't any renderings the folks at Corey, an airport advertising corporation, are willing to share just yet. "We have lots of technical drawings," VP Steve Moody told Curbed Atlanta, "but nothing conceptual that we are prepared to show the world." In case you missed it, the Atlanta Business Chronicle reported last month that downtown's second most phallic piece of architecture (Westin Peachtree Plaza is our alpha phallus) would be converted to a 25-by-80 foot electronic landmark. The real hullabaloo stemmed from owner Bill Corey comparing the finalized project to the St. Louis Arch, the Statue of Liberty and the Space Needle.
While we didn't get any cool art, we did get some updated construction details. Corey President Diane McIver said that the project "now is somewhere around a January 1 target date for completion," pending the weather's cooperation. The framing for the monstrous board — a single, vertical addition to the tower, pointed toward the Connector — is tentatively scheduled to be up "sometime in November." And, when that occurs, McIver said, "you can see the enormity of the signature sign itself from the expressway and the majority of office buildings that face that way!"
She also promised that, at that point, Curbed (and you!) will be seeing some of those glorious renderings. This should all be pretty cool, but, in the words of the Curbed reader who took the photo above, let's hope it's done tastefully.
(PS — If you're into the advertising side of things, officials said the billboard will have "an approximate 45-second read.")
— By Curbed Atlanta contributor Tyler Estep
[ABOVE: Evidence of activity on Corey Tower. Photo via Curbed tipline.]
· Downtown's Corey Tower to become eye-catching digital billboard [ABC]
· Will Digital Smokestack Be ATL's Greatest Landmark? [Curbed Atlanta]
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