Where ladies once shopped for leather handbags, fine linen and finer chocolates while sampling sprays of perfume, pairs of shirtless men fought it out.
Where downtown white-collar workers chit-chatted at lunch over white tablecloths, spectators cheered and booed the bursts of controlled violence.
Where, lately, couples have exchanged vows and rings, there was no kissing and hugging, only hissing and slugging, in the spotlight Friday.
The venerable place that housed Macy’s famous department store from 1927 to 2003 and now opens its doors to the non-contact sport of weddings and other social gatherings was transformed for one evening into a venue for ... boxing?
Robert Patterson, president of the building that is branded by its address, 200 Peachtree, never imagined after a $16 million renovation that Macy’s grand atrium would hold a night of fightin’.
He was approached by Greg Barckhoff, a sports promoter and onetime marketing executive with the Chick-fil-A Bowl and Atlanta Sports Council, about a program of pugilism.
“We thought, ‘Why not? This could be interesting,’ “ Patterson said, even the original architect, Philip Trammell Shutze, might be prompted to turn in his grave. “It is certainly different.”
At first glance, the converted ballroom with marble floors, Greek columns and massive teardrop chandeliers left over from the store hardly seems a logical backdrop for jabs and uppercuts.
But upscale settings for practitioners of the sweet science are not uncommon, especially in Las Vegas, as Barckhoff pointed out. Even Atlanta has offered up a few spiffy halls for gloved combat.
“This is the perfect location,” he said, hoping to find a home for his cards that have bounced around the metro area. “People like to come downtown for the fights.”
The ring was situated snugly among four columns, lending it a regal air. One of the room’s five chandeliers hung directly overhead, almost low enough that an NBA big man-turned-boxer would feel compelled to duck.
George Lee of Stockbridge took a chair, spotted the chandelier, uttered a gosh and snapped a photo. “Really, I’m impressed,” he said.
“Very unusual,” his wife, Colleen, observed about the scene. She recalled shopping at Davison’s, as Macy’s was named until 1985. “They sold the best sticky buns in the basement,” she said. “I would never have dreamed they would have this someday.”
Patrons with floor seats enjoyed mostly unobscured vantage points and generally offered a thumbs-up to the close-up feel. Capacity is around 1,000.
“Great. Very different,” said Dennis Seitz of Peachtree Corners. “Atlanta has needed this for a long time.”
“I’m really impressed,” echoed Chuck Gaetano of Roswell, who made use of the valet parking. “It’s first-class from the minute you walk up.”
Gaetano and his friend, Bob Tuttle of Roswell, were no strangers to the site.
“We spent plenty of money here with our wives” at the old store, Tuttle said.
Wondering where he might have killed time as well as his savings there, Gaetano glanced around and said, “Mostly in dresses and shoes [departments].”
Friday’s crowd lining the rail of the balcony enjoyed a bird’s-eye perspective, though some complained about partly obstructed views from the columns and chandeliers.
“They kind of block the fight, so you’ve got to walk around,” said Chris Kane of Stockbridge, a budding boxer.
While he voiced a preference for Philips Arena or similarly less cluttered arenas, Kane applauded the intimate feel of the compact venue.
“I can see their facial expressions and tattoos from up here,” he said.
Fans cared little, or did not notice, that the quality of the card was far from TV pay-per-view. While the main event featured accomplished lightweight Antonio Davis, winning a decision to run his record to 27-7, the victim, Jamar Saunders, dropped his 10th bout out of 15.
Several matchups involved first-time professionals. The ring announcer introduced middleweight Joseph Benjamin excitedly as “a veteran of 18 fights” while failing to mention that 17 had ended in defeat. Benjamin’s night was over in a flash; a no-contest was declared within seconds of the opening bell from a mysterious cut over his eye.
Still, Davis, 38, found the environment inviting, having boxed before in what kindly could be called dumps.
“A classy spot, and I’ve been all over,” he said. “For a club-type [size], this is top of the line.”
About that bright, hulking chandelier: no distraction?
“Once the bell rings and the experience kicks in, that’s all blocked out,” he said.
A relative pro newbie, junior welterweight Dino Dumonjic, equated the locale to a “mini-Vegas. I love it,” he said after improving to 3-1.
Even fight judge Nola Oliver of Norcross, who has sat ringside for years filling out score sheets, was struck.
“Pretty good,” she said. “This stacks up against any of the convention centers.” As for the chandeliers: “Aren’t they beautiful? I would die to have one in my house.” In fact, three more are stored away on the premises -- not for sale.
Barckhoff, the co-promoter, aspires to bring his next program, aimed for April 29, back to 200 Peachtree. While Patterson, its president, has yet to commit, he expressed no reservations Friday about an encore performance.
Saturday night, boxing gave way to an event more in line with Macy’s legacy: an Indian bridal fashion show.
The architect Shutze can stop turning. For now.
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