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Damaged downtown Atlanta building causes street, park closures near Five Points

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Winds from Tropical Storm Irma dislodged parts of a midcentury high-rise fronting Woodruff Park 

A large dark space on the facade, where white metal panels are missing, haven fallen 32 stories.
Missing panels visible at the upper right corner of 34 Peachtree St.
Michael Kahn, Curbed Atlanta

As Atlantans recover from the effects of Tropical Storm Irma, many across the metro are still facing street closures and power outages due to fallen limbs and trees.

But downtown, falling objects of a non-natural type are impeding movement.

Before the full brunt of the storm moved in Monday afternoon, facade panels from 34 Peachtree—a 32-story, midcentury office building fronting Woodruff Park—became dislodged, falling hundreds of feet to the street below.

As winds picked up Monday, panels continued to rain down, breaking at least one window and crashing onto the pavement and sidewalks. According to the AJC, even when the wind subsided, the danger did not, with more panels plummeting on Tuesday.

The building has seen better days, with mismatched windows and peeling paint becoming more prominent over recent years.

Last year, plans emerged to convert the top 12 floors into a hotel, but those have yet to materialize.

The missing panels, with at least one boarded-up window below.
Michael Kahn, Curbed Atlanta

As of Wednesday evening, the cordoned-off site had been stabilized, but there’s still a large exclusion zone including Peachtree Street and Woodruff Park.

The street closures are causing havoc for downtown traffic heading through Five Points, and there's no indication as to when the building facade will no longer be deemed a threat.

Rare sight: an empty Peachtree Street.
Michael Kahn, Curbed Atlanta