When is the last time you visited the downtown Atlanta building formerly known as CNN Center?
Before the pandemic and its namesake media giant’s exodus, the gigantic building and its central food court was a popular tourist destination and gathering spot in the heart of downtown.
CP Group, which acquired the property four years ago, aims to recapture that spirit and revamp CNN Center — now rebranded as just The Center — with modern tastes in mind. The complex’s reimaging is starting to come into focus.
A slate of new renderings released Tuesday portray a significant glow-up from the CNN Center of old, showcasing a slick facade and glitzy atrium. CP Group tapped TVS, an Atlanta-based architecture and interior design firm, to help bring its vision to life.
It also signals a full-circle moment for TVS. The company in 1975 designed what was originally called the Omni International Complex, which would be rebranded as CNN Center in 1987 when the 24/7-news broadcaster turned it into its headquarters.
“Fifty years after we first helped shape this complex, we are honored to work with CP Group to reintroduce it as a dynamic public destination that reflects Atlanta’s continued vibrant evolution,” Rob O’Keefe, principal at TVS said in a news release. “With The Center, we aim to create a welcoming experience for Atlantans and visitors of our incredible city.”
CNN announced in January 2023 that 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 slowly been 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. About 1.1 million square feet of office space within The Center is available for lease. CBRE is handling office leasing efforts, while Healey Weatherholtz Properties is in charge of retail leasing.
Nicole Goldsmith, a CBRE broker in charge of recruiting office tenants to the building, told the AJC last year the revamp could become “downtown’s version of the Battery, Ponce City Market and Avalon.” The renderings released Tuesday are tweaks of previous marketing materials published in 2024 to try to attract office tenants.
TVS leaders said The Center is at the crossroads of Atlanta’s sports and entertainment district, flanked by Centennial Olympic Park, State Farm Arena and the forthcoming Centennial Yards project.
“As a defining project for us, we are thrilled we can further transform it to reflect the city’s energy, culture and future,” said Donna Childs, principal at TVS.
Credit: Miguel Martinez
Credit: Miguel Martinez
CP Group has selected local artists Neda Abghari and Bem Joiner to assist with the redevelopment’s artwork, which the renderings show as a variety of murals and other art pieces.
Additional details on the installations will be shared later this year, and the reimagined ground-floor level of The Center is expected to open in 2026, TVS said.
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