Photos: A look at Atlanta's Colony Square

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A look at Atlanta's Colony Square

Midtown Atlanta’s Colony Square was decades ahead of its time. Now, the venerable mix of office towers and a shopping mall is about to play catch-up with the modern era.This week, noted developer North American Properties and equity partner Lionstone Investments closed on their purchase of the towers at 14th and Peachtree streets. -- All text in this gallery by J. Scott Trubey, AJC | READ THE STORY

The duo has some intriguing ideas about how to remake Jim Cushman’s forward-thinking office complex — including taking the top off of the mall at the base of the skyscrapers — but they also want to know what the community thinks should be part of Colony Square’s revitalization. Cushman developed Colony Square, a mix of shops, restaurants, a hotel, residential and office towers in a project that was decades ahead of its time by Atlanta’s standards. Today, mixed-use is on everyone’s development radar, but in the 1960s, it was a rarity. | READ THE STORY

In this 1972 photo from the AJC archives, the original caption reads "Business is slow to return to 'strip' area of Midtown Atlanta around 10th Street. Cushman Corporation's Colony Square development rises in the background." | READ THE STORY

June 1977: Peachtree Street in midtown Atlanta, looking north. Colony Square comprises the two high rises in the distance. | READ THE STORY

June 1973: The Colony Square ice skating rink as it looked while under construction. The original photo caption reads "Colony Square rink nears completion. More Atlanta ice rink capacity will be available to local skaters on July 5 when the Colony Square Ice Capades Chalet opens its 8,800-square-foot floor. The rink is covered by a giant skylight. Shops surrounding the rink are to open this fall." | READ THE STORY

By 1982, Colony Square had high rise company as the Midtown area continued growing and expanding. | READ THE STORY

“Over the decades, the Midtown neighborhood around Colony Square flourished while the iconic building became sleepy and tired,” North American Managing Partner Mark Toro said in a news release. “On July 4, 2018, the 50th anniversary of Colony Square’s groundbreaking, we will celebrate the grand opening of the reimagined Colony Square. We will engage with the city, with the street and with pedestrians, and it will fundamentally change the experience of living and working in Midtown Atlanta.” -- Text by J. Scott Trubey, AJC | READ THE STORY

The courtyard at Colony Square. | READ THE STORY

Colony Square as seen from Peachtree and 10th Streets in the 1980s. | READ THE STORY

The new owners are seeking input from the community and is expected to be patient with its plans. The developers plan to join forces with the Midtown Alliance to “adopt” the Arts District Plaza to hold events for complex tenants as well as the public, the release said. The developers also are launching a hashtag to connect with the community: #ReimagineCS. -- Text by J. Scott Trubey, AJC | READ THE STORY

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Midtown Atlanta’s Colony Square was decades ahead of its time. Now, the venerable mix of office towers and a shopping mall is about to play catch-up with the modern era.This week, noted developer North American Properties and equity partner Lionstone Investments closed on their purchase of the towers at 14th and Peachtree streets. -- All text in this gallery by J. Scott Trubey, AJC | READ THE STORY

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