For nearly two years, splashy renderings have shown off the ambitious plans to turn downtown Atlanta’s iconic CNN Center into something fresh and vibrant.
It’s nearly time to see those renderings come to life.
CP Group, the developer transforming the former media hub into a rebranded complex called The Center, announced it will open the project’s revamped food hall and atrium in May. The 24,000-square-foot space will feature several dining options and is described as “the beating heart” of the project, according to a news release.
It’s a milestone for the high-profile project, which recently completed $50 million in exterior renovations and signage improvements. Stylized as “The CTR,” the reopening will also come less than a month before hundreds of thousands of international soccer fans are expected to flock to downtown Atlanta as a World Cup host city.
Credit: Courtesy TVS
Credit: Courtesy TVS
Before the pandemic and its namesake media giant’s exodus from the site, the gigantic building and its central food court was a popular tourist destination and gathering spot in the heart of downtown. But its heyday has come and gone, requiring a reposition to meet modern tastes, Chris Eachus, founding partner at CP Group, said in a news release.
“With the building opening back up to the city, we are reconnecting one of Atlanta’s landmarks with the people and energy of downtown — allowing it to become something Atlantans can truly claim as their own,” he said.
CNN announced in January 2023 it would move its Atlanta operations entirely to the 30-acre Turner Techwood campus in Midtown, not far from where the network was founded. CNN Center had already been slowly hollowed out over the years since CNN effectively moved its headquarters to New York in 2019.
Credit: Bill Torpy
Credit: Bill Torpy
CP Group and another Florida-based real estate firm, Rialto Capital Management, acquired the office and retail campus in 2021 for $164 million. The companies have aggressively marketed The Center as one of Atlanta’s most exciting projects. CP Group is also leading renovations at Bank of America Plaza, the tallest building in Atlanta, and Buckhead’s largest office complex, called Piedmont Center.
Originally called the Omni International Complex when it was built 50 years ago, the landmark building at the corner of Marietta Street and Centennial Olympic Park Drive was built as a behemoth.
“For decades, this building functioned as a fortress,” Eachus said.
Credit: Natrice Miller / Natrice.Miller@
Credit: Natrice Miller / Natrice.Miller@
The revamp is more focused on blending into the surrounding entertainment core of downtown, which features Centennial Olympic Park, State Farm Arena and Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The $5 billion redevelopment of the Gulch, called Centennial Yards, is also making headway across the street from The Center.
The food hall, which is called CTR Food Works, is the central focus of the soon-to-open atrium. CP Group said it will include the “largest bar in the city,” in addition to a half-dozen food options that will be open in time for the World Cup festivities this summer.
Those restaurants include La Tropical (a Latin kitchen), Fuzzy’s (seafood), Patty & Frank’s (burgers and hot dogs), Mimi Taqueria (Mexican), Flora D’Italia (Italian and pizza) and the Dessert Box bakery.
Mastro’s Ocean Club in mid-2026 will bring a larger high-end restaurant focused on steaks and seafood, acting as the ground floor’s new culinary anchor.
Credit: Courtesy TVS
Credit: Courtesy TVS
CP Group said it will invest $15 million into the new atrium and food hall before it opens in May.
Hines is handling all retail leasing at The Center. CBRE is in charge of leasing the roughly 1.1 million square feet of office space that comprises the complex’s upper floors.
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