Coworking giant to claim multiple floors of downtown tower—with signage atop it

Expect more changes to the skies over downtown Atlanta—and potentially more than 1,000 new office workers.

North Carolina-based The Dilweg Companies announced today it has inked a longterm, multi-floor lease with the world’s largest coworking provider, WeWork, at 101 Marietta Street, a glassy tower famed for the luminescent chevron near the top of its 36 stories.

Following a renovation, the 1975 building has made a leasing comeback since 2016, and officials say WeWork’s decision to open its first downtown location—the largest of six in Atlanta—continues that momentum.

Photo by Rolen Image courtesy of 101 Marietta Street

The deal includes 100,300 square feet of upper-floor offices for more than 1,300 WeWork members—and new WeWork signage atop one of downtown’s most recognizable buildings.

Buildout is expected to begin in coming weeks, and WeWork’s downtown outpost is scheduled to open this summer.

Bobby Condon, WeWork’s Southeast General Manager, said in a prepared statement the “ability to have future-ready workspace fully equipped with new amenities” along with “easy access to mass transit and breathtaking views in the heart of downtown” influenced the company’s decision.

Courtesy of 101 Marietta Street

A recent $5 million renovation at 101 Marietta is highlighted by a Perkins+Will-designed lobby with a two-way virtual window offering real-time views of the streetscape and building interior, collaborative spaces, and restaurant-style booths.

Beyond WeWork, the tenant mix includes the Atlanta Hawks, The Associated Press, CH Robinson, Oracle, and Southern Education, among others.

The WeWork lease comes on the heels of a full-floor signing with tech startup Steady in recent weeks. More than 440,000 square feet of space has been claimed since 2016, most of that in the past year, officials said.

The building-top signage won’t be the only sky-high alterations to downtown recently.

Courtesy of 101 Marietta Street

Earlier this month, Atlanta’s first digital, building-top signage was switched on, following months of highly visible construction and gripes among the general populace that the LED boards spelled the end for a local icon: the classic “EQUITABLE” sign, a downtown fixture for decades.

Visible from miles away, the two 174-foot signs now stretch across the 30th floor on opposite sides of downtown’s 100 Peachtree tower, previously known as the Equitable Building.

According to an in-house poll, the majority of readers haven’t exactly welcomed those changes with open arms.

Courtesy of Brilliance Photography

• Atlanta’s first digital, building-top signage is live. How’s that make you feel? [Curbed]