Downtown Atlanta’s underused, unsightly Gulch—in photos!

Could this serve as the “before” version of a game-changing, $1B mixed-use overhaul?

By Josh Green@JoshGreen1234 Jun 30, 2017, 10:18am EDT

Downtown Atlanta’s horrible Gulch, in photos. — At least there’s a few trees.

The Gulch is Atlanta’s most unfortunate urban gash, but there’s hope it could be something more conducive to human inhabitation soon.

News emerged recently that Los Angeles-based CIM Group—a respected, self-capitalized firm whose urban redevelopment investments span from Santa Monica to SOHO and Brooklyn—plans to overhaul this vast patchwork of ~~godawful, subterranean parking lots~~ prime real estate.

One of CIM’s head honchos is Richard Ressler, brother of the Atlanta Hawks’ billionaire owner Tony Ressler, whose team plays next door. Perhaps that’s why a majority of Atlantans (46 percent) are confident The Gulch will finally be transformed after decades of discussion without action, per a highly scientific poll.

In any case, the news of a potential $1-billion Gulch redo made this week an opportune time for documenting what the area looks like right now, for this latest installment of the Visual Journeys series.

Enjoy! Or rather, endure!

The empty Gulch, a tailgating haven, this week.

In the heart of a thriving city, does it get more soul-crushing than this?

Neighboring The Gulch is this gargantuan, artistically jagged new Falcons statue (below) outside Mercedes-Benz Stadium’s main entrance. Standing more than 40-feet tall, it was erected last month as the world’s largest freestanding bird sculpture.

Read more about the big bird’s construction—and Hungarian roots—over here. Let’s hope it can help lift The Gulch to a more vibrant future.