Groundbreaking signals launch of third new Portman tower in Midtown

The trifecta of Portman Holdings projects along Midtown’s booming West Peachtree Street corridor is officially happening, as of tomorrow.

A groundbreaking is scheduled Thursday for the second tower to be occupied by healthcare giant Anthem, according to a rep with newly christened Portman Architects, the company formerly known as John Portman & Associates.

Demolition and other work at the 712 Peachtree site has been ongoing, as Anthem’s first glassy tower topped out and the neighboring Coda complex opened, showcasing the world’s tallest spiral staircase.

Immediately south of the Portman projects, another entire block—save the northwest corner, for now—has been cleared for a Cousins Properties’s two-tower development to be anchored by Fortune 500 railroad company Norfolk Southern’s headquarters. (Latest renderings are here.)

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The next Anthem tower, planned to rise 23 stories, will be 11 feet taller than its sibling. They’ll be joined by an eighth-floor terrace and potentially a skybridge higher up, pending further studies, Portman architect Pierluca Maffey recently told Curbed Atlanta.

Along with Coda, which houses Georgia Tech’s computing center, the Anthem projects have drastically changed two city blocks between Armstead Place and 3rd Street.

The first Anthem tower is expected to open in January, followed by the connected project in mid-2021, according to Portman Architects officials.

Have a look at what’s to come—and what’s recently been delivered—below.

Remaining renderings and photography courtesy of Portman Architects