Atlanta’s urbanists cringed when they first saw renderings for hotel slated to develop at a bustling intersection in Midtown.
Granted, the building, a 14-story Marriott installation being developed by Noble Investment Group, is expected to replace a parking lot at the corner of Peachtree Street and Ponce de Leon Avenue. But early designs didn’t look much more exciting than the slab of parking spaces.
But now, thanks to a collaboration among the city’s planning department, the Midtown Alliance, and Noble, the bummer of a building mockup—urbanist blog ThreadATL called it “bland” and “run-of-the-mill”—underwent some upgrades, leaving the developer with the design shown above.
“This is impressive,” the ThreadATL report said.
The new hotel site is surrounded on three sides by historic Atlanta structures; The Fox Theatre, The Georgian Terrace hotel, and the Ponce Condominium were all built in the early 20th Century. The new facade design, according to ThreadATL, better gels with the existing architecture nearby.
“It is critically important that Atlanta expect more from its designers and more of its buildings,” said Tim Keane, commissioner of the planning department, according to a press release. “City Planning is focused on design at every scale, so we can make a more vibrant public realm in Atlanta. Buildings are essential to this.”
This new hotel, a dual-branded project, would house 154 rooms in its Marriott Courtyard section and another 128 keys under the Marriott Element flag—all above a five-story parking complex.
It would also house a restaurant on the ground floor, as well as a lounge on the second-floor terrace.
Midtown’s Development Review Committee suggested the developer rework the exterior design back in January. The city began working with Noble on the improvements in March.
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