Atlanta City Hall

skyscraper
art-deco
GE
Atlanta

About the Atlanta City Hall in Atlanta
1. Building Catalogations
Architect and team
Architectureal style
Spaces and uses
Structure and materials

The Atlanta City Hall is an Art-deco skyscraper designed by G.Lloyd Preacher and built between 1928 and 1930 in Atlanta, GE.

Its precise street address is 68 Mitchell Street NE, Atlanta, GE. You can also find it on the map here.

The Atlanta City Hall is a structure of significant importance both for the city of Atlanta and the United States as a nation. The building embodies the distinctive characteristic features of the time in which it was built and the Art Deco style. Because of that, the Atlanta City Hall was officially declared as a national landmark on July 23^rd 1989.

The building has been restored 2 times over the years to ensure its conservation and adaptation to the pass of time. The main restoration works happened in 1989 and 2003.

Building's timeline

Construction begins

1928

Construction completed

1930

Restoration

1989

Restoration

2003

years ago

2024

1986 to 1989 - Added an annex. The architect in charge was Paul Muldawer, Jova/Daiels/Busby.
2003 - Completion fothe "green roof" on fifth floor.

Architect and team

G.Lloyd Preacher was the architecture firm in charge of the architectural design.

G.Lloyd Preacher was in charge of the architectural design, however, architecture is a complex discipline, which usually involves 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 at the very least we know that there was one other part involved, that was Atlanta City Hall as the Main Developer.

Architectural Style

The Atlanta City Hall 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 Atlanta City Hall was completed in 1930, right when the Art Deco movement was at its peak, so it kind of went with the trend at that time.

Spaces & Uses

The Atlanta City Hall reaches an architectural height of 213ft (65m). It has a total of 17 floors, 14 above ground and 3 basements, served by 4 elevators.

Ever since opening its doors to the public in 1930, the Atlanta City Hall has mainly been used as Governmental space.

Materials & Structure

Both the vertical and horizontal elements of the Atlanta City Hall's structure are made out of reinforced concrete.

From an aesthetic point of view, the facade features cream-colored tiles and olive green terracotta on the pillars, with metalic frames in the casement windows. The balustrades and buildign entrances are covered with white marble, with dark spandrels emphasizing the differnt levels. The gothic ornaments on the crown, balconies and ground floors are made of terracotta.

Other materials found at the Atlanta City Hall include, Georgia granite, used in floors and columns, and wood, found in coffered ceilings and capitals, as well as on stairs and railings.

Sources

www.atlantaga.gov