CYCLORAMA Moving to Atlanta History Center
The famous 50 foot high by 400 foot circumference circular painting
depicting the Battle of Atlanta
will move from its home in Grant Park where it has been since 1921.
Mayor Kasim Reed announced yesterday that Atlanta History Center will be building a new Cyclorama Building on their campus designed specifically for the painting and its 3D sculptural elements.
The painting, created around 1885 in Milwaukee, toured several cities before it was situated in a round wooden drum shaped building in Grant Park in 1898. The neoclassical Georgia marble faced building was finished in 1921, with several renovations and additions since then.
Next summer, construction will begin on a new circular 23,000 square foot building which will stand on the corner of West Paces Ferry and Slaton Rd, giving the Cyclorama a front row seat to Buckhead. Earlier this year, Veteran’s Memorial Park was completed on the street corner which will be in front of the new Cyclorama. The History Center has already planned to reconstruct and enlarge the visitors entrance building which will stand next to (or be connected to) the Cyclorama.
The new glass and stone museum design will create a more friendly entrance than the previously austere entrance building. The Atlanta History Center already encompasses the attractions of the Swan House, Tullie Smith Farm and the Atlanta Olympic Experience, so the addition of the Cyclorama will provide an exciting way to experience the Battle of Atlanta during the Civil War– thus rounding out its coverage of Atlanta history from pioneer frontier through today.
Major ZOOAtlanta Expansion
The historic building which previously held the Cyclorama in Grant Park will become part of the new entrance plaza to Zoo Atlanta. The structure will be used as an event space which will have an unparalleled view of the new African savanna habitat for the magnificent elephants.
Grant Park was established in 1882 and hosts 2 million visitors annually. Seven years later, a traveling circus came to town, went bankrupt, and thus became the Atlanta Zoo. Today, the zoo has a master redevelopment plan which includes underground parking that will enhance the aesthetic beauty of both Grant Park and the Atlanta Zoo.
Hopefully, someday the Atlanta Streetcar will be expanded to include Grant Park and ZooAtlanta.
Georgia Globe Design News 