King Tut is life of the party at Civic Center

The center also hosted an April 10 Atlanta Press Club luncheon and book-signing for Food Network's Paula Deen. The British American Business Group's Atlanta chapter held its James Bond Gala there last month and Georgia Tech alumni carefully rolled in the Ramblin' Wreck for their February bash.

Coming up, the Tut exhibit will be the backdrop for some high school proms.

"We're thrilled," said Civic Center director Ann Marie Moraitakis. Her early estimate is that the city's share of rent and ticket sales from the exhibit, which closes May 17, will top $500,000. The Civic Center's annual operating budget is about $1.7 million, she said.

As recently as a couple of years ago, there was talk of demolishing the 1960s-era Civic Center to make way for new development. This February, singer Patti LaBelle launched into a tirade about its unkempt condition. "I can't stand this place," she said, complaining of rodents and a burn mark on the dressing room carpet.

But there were high hopes for "Tutankhamun: the Golden King and the Great Pharaohs," presented by the Carlos. It was laid out with the partying crowd in mind — gala patrons may tour the exhibit after hours, minus crowds of tourists, before heading to the adjacent "Luxor Lounge" reception area or "Pharaohs' Palace" ballroom. Rental costs range from about $4,000 to $18,000, not including catering or other expenses, said Joe Hall, general manager of King Tut Special Events.

"People who attend fundraisers, they've done the Aquarium, they've done the World of Coke, the High," he said. "It really has brought a lot of interest because of the originality of the exhibit."

Staffers spent more than two months setting up the show pieces. The design arm of A Legendary Event, a high-end local catering company, was in charge of the decor.

"When we started, it looked like an aircraft hangar," Hall said.

The Civic Center will next host "America I AM: The African American Imprint," a 15,000-square-foot exhibition with more than 200 rare historic objects, documents and photos, and multimedia, from June 7 to Aug. 31. Moving forward, both Hall and Moraitakis hope the popularity of the current exhibit will position the Center as the venue for future special events bookings.

"It's very functional," Hall said.

Others see Tut's golden touch as more ephemeral.

"I think the area is too dicey right now and not a comfortable place for people who can pay big-ticket prices to choose to go," said Veneralia co-chairman Jack Sawyer. "Personally I am a major fan of the Cobb Energy Centre. It is so much more accessible for everybody who has the means to attend events like we are talking about."

Co-chairwoman Sacha Taylor said the Civic Center is dated but functional. "I don't think the Civic Center would have been our first choice for the event, but King Tut wasn't going to come to the St. Regis for just us," she said, referring to the grand new Buckhead hotel. "That said, though, I believe the Civic Center serves its purpose and we definitely need all the larger venues we can get our hands on in this city."

But even Civic Center detractors say the Tut factor has been a positive one.

"It's not a very pretty building," said intown commercial real estate broker Tug Helmer. He attended a preview reception at the exhibit, and has since returned to tour it again.

"The last cool thing I saw there was 'Miss Saigon' in the late '90s," he said, "until King Tut rolled into town."

The Civic Center will next host "America I AM: The African American Imprint," a 15,000-square-foot exhibition with more than 200 rare historic objects, documents and photos, and multimedia, from June 7 to Aug. 31.