GLC Grand Building

skyscraper
art-deco
GA
Atlanta

About the GLC Grand Building in Atlanta
Architect and team
Architectural style
Spaces and uses
Structure and materials

The GLC Grand Building is an Art-deco skyscraper designed by Rabun Hogan Ota Rasche Architects, and built in 1992, for a reported $58.0 million dollars, in Atlanta, GA.

GLC Grand Building is not the only name you might know this building by though. It is common for companies to want to attach their names to iconic buildings when they move in, or for the general public to come up with nicknames, and this one is no exception. The GLC Grand Building is also known, or has been known as, GLC Grand Hotel, or Occidental Hotel Building.

Its precise street address is 75 14th Street NE, Atlanta, GA. You can also find it on the map here.

Architect and team

Rabun Hogan Ota Rasche Architects was the architecture firm in charge of the architectural design.

That being said, architecture is a complex discipline involving many professionals from different fields, without whom this building would have not been possible. We will surely be leaving out a lot of names here, but here is a list of the people we do know also played their part in making the GLC Grand Building a reality:

Beers Skanska Inc as the Main Contractor
G. Lars Gullstedt as the Main Developer
Hirsch Bedner Associates in charge of Interior Design

Architectural Style

The GLC Grand Building can be categorized as an Art-deco building.

The Art Deco movement flourished during the 1920s and 1930s, with many historians marking the outbreak of World War II as its final decline. Even though a couple of decades might not seem as much, the Art Deco movement had a great impact on architecture, and it's widely represented in many American cities due to the development boom that happened during that time.

Art Deco marked the abandonment of traditional historicism and the embracement of modern living and the age of the machine. In architecture, that meant leaving behind the ornaments of Beux-Arts and Neo-Gothic buildings and instead favoring simplicity and visual impact through geometric shapes, clean lines, and symmetrical designs. Ornaments were still an important part of the design, but they became bold and lavish, and were often inspired by ancient cultures or industrial imagery, instead of nature.

The GLC Grand Building was completed in 1992, significantly after what could be considered the end of the Art-Deco movement. It was clearly inspired by the movement, but because it doesen't really fit into the movement's timeline it would be considered as a post-movement or neo-movement.

Especially during modern times, there are less imposed rules when it comes to design. Variety and experimentation are welcome, and architects are given the freedom to take inspiration from a wide range of sources.

Looking at the past for inspiration can be a great starting point for an architectural project, and something which Rabun Hogan Ota Rasche Architects clearly took advantage of to design the GLC Grand Building. Architects may choose to look to the past for multiple reasons. It could be that they want the building to merge with an older surounding, give it the feeling of having been there for longer than it actualy has, personal preference or it might even be a requieremnt from the client.

Spaces & Uses

The GLC Grand Building reaches an architectural height of 610ft (186m). It has a total of 53 floors.

Ever since opening its doors to the public in 1992, the GLC Grand Building has mainly been used as Hotel space, with other complementary uses such as residential space.

About the Hotel

The hotel is a 5 stars category hotel, with a total of 244 rooms available to the public. The name of the hotel is Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta. You can learn more about the hotel by visiting their website here.

Materials & Structure

From an aesthetic point of view, the facade features pale rose granite and the marble.

Other materials found at the GLC Grand Building include, polished marble, used in the lobby's floors, Baccarat glass, found in the lobby lamps, and Baccarat glass, .