Centennial Yards, a $5 billion downtown project, broke ground on its first ground-up buildings Thursday, November 17, 2022, according to a press release.
Construction is now underway on Anthem, a 292-key boutique hotel, as well as a 304-unit apartment tower across from Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The milestone moment comes just one year after signing the development agreement with the City of Atlanta.
“This is a true phoenix moment for Centennial Yards to rise up and bring forth a transformation of Downtown Atlanta while honoring the history that brought us here,” Brian McGowan, president of Centennial Yards Company, said in the release. “Plans for the new boutique hotel and 304 additional apartments across the street from Mercedes-Benz Stadium where the 2026 World Cup games will be held is incredibly exciting for us.”
Construction of the residential building and the Anthem hotel will add hundreds of construction jobs to Downtown and is slated for completion in 2025. Centennial Yards continues toward its goal of 38 percent target participation of its contracts to female and minority-owned local businesses, according to the release.
“With the development of Centennial Yards, we have an opportunity to further revitalize Downtown while bridging the gap between the east and westsides of our city,” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said. “This project is uniquely Atlanta—bringing the public, private and non- profit sectors together to dream big and execute a plan in a thoughtful and deliberate manner.”
Each building will be 18 stories above the viaduct level with Anthem’s guest rooms averaging more than 400-square-feet each and the apartment tower offering multiple layouts from studios to three bedrooms.
These buildings will collectively have 21,000 square feet of ground-level retail and restaurant space and provide a new public green space for visitors and locals alike to enjoy. The Anthem hotel will also have a rooftop to offer unique views of key Downtown attractions.
The architects for both high-rise towers are TVS and Goode Van Slyke, with TVS also leading interior design of the buildings.
“We are working with teams that understand that the design of these towers should fit within the overall urban planning strategy of making Centennial Yards an active, safe, walkable and entertaining environment befitting a vibrant city such as Atlanta,” said McGowan.
The groundbreaking comes just after Centennial Yards revealed new branding that is an evolution of the project’s story.
“Our new visual identity emphasizes Centennial Yards’ connection to Atlanta’s birth and, now, rebirth,” said McGowan. “We felt it was the perfect time to reveal this new chapter of our story before breaking ground on our first new buildings.”
Centennial Yards previously renovated the historic Southern Railway building into 162 residential and mixed-used retail spaces. Residents moved into The Lofts at Centennial Yards South in the summer of 2021, with the first commercial tenant, Wild Leap Brewing Co., opening to customers this December.
McGowan said Centennial Yards is expected to have 4 million square feet of new residences and 4 million square feet of commercial space with a mix of hotel, retail, restaurant, and office space once complete. This will include one of the largest Sports Entertainment Districts in the Southeast.
