The Grant Park building next door to Zoo Atlanta, which has housed the Cyclorama for the last nine decades, is slated to become a restaurant and event space when the painting's new Buckhead digs are completed . Speculation had swirled regarding what would become of a building that was purpose-built — though clearly not that well, considering more than 600 square feet were hacked out of the painting to allow it to fit — almost a century ago. The most exciting feature of the building's new incarnation is a viewing area, where patrons will peer into the zoo's savanna habitat and catch glimpses of all sorts of African wildlife.
The announcement may assuage fears of complete demolition, but for staunch preservationists, there's no sigh of relief. The proposal necessitates a complete retooling of the interior of the building to accommodate all the restaurant and entertainment space, Atlanta INtown reports. Where the rotating seating is now, an arena-sized array of televisions will hang from the ceiling, displaying what seems to be images of the back of a giraffe's head, piles of wood and a really bored looking man — requisites for the hippest parties.
On the outside, the design team isn't planning on touching the front façade, but all bets are off on the other three sides of the building. From the renderings it appears the rear of the building will be sliced open, with large windows and a party deck affixed to it, affording views of the whole menagerie — though hopefully far less pixelated than the rendering suggests. Don't worry about rushing to book the venue, however. The repurposed space is slated to be completed in 2018, because heaven help us if anything gets done quickly in this city.
· Cyclorama building to become restaurant, event space [Atlanta INtown]
— Michael Kahn
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