With permits secured, Midtown’s Anthem tower heads toward construction

Construction could soon begin on Anthem’s new office tower on West Peachtree Street near Tech Square.

Trees have been marked for removal, demolition permits are approved, and site work filings have been made with the city to allow developer Portman Holdings to prepare the lot for 21 stories of offices.

The new Anthem tower will stand next to the under-construction Coda project. Together, the towers will draw the development surrounding Tech Square farther south toward downtown.

Plans have been in the works since earlier this year for Anthem’s development, which could house as many as 3,000 employees. The tech giant will be the building anchor, and it turns out a second multi-use tower slated for the same block may not actually materialize soon.

Nearly $3 million in site work alone is planned, as construction will require the demolition of two structures.

While the loss of a fairly new SunTrust branch is far from lamentable, more disconcerting is the removal of a charming, red-brick home from 1927, tucked next to a concrete parking deck on 4th Street.

Michael Kahn, Curbed Atlanta

Plans also call for the demolition of the classical Landmark Bank at the corner of West Peachtree and 3rd streets. While the bank is working to vacate the building, the immediate future of the business is unclear, as it occupies the site where the stalled second tower is slated to go.

Construction on the Anthem tower is anticipated to carry into 2020.

• Unveiled: Portman-designed Midtown tower will house 3,000 IT professionals [Curbed Atlanta]