Photos: The Piedmont Park Climbing Magnolia

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Photos: The Piedmont Park Climbing Magnolia

One of Midtown's most recognizable landmarks is no more. The "Climbing Magnolia" of Piedmont Park succumbed to rot and had to be chopped up for safety reasons.

The sun has set on a popular Midtown Atlanta landmark. The Piedmont Park Climbing Magnolia fell on Friday night and had to be removed. (PETE CORSON / pcorson@ajc.com)

The "Climbing Magnolia" at Piedmont Park fell when its root plate fractured. This photo taken by a Piedmont Park Conservancy employee reveals the column of rot that failed to counterweigh the popular climbing branches on the other side of the tree. (Courtesy of Piedmont Park Conservancy)

This photo of the fallen Climbing Magnolia at Piedmont Park was taken on Friday, July 29, 2016, in the immediate moment after it fell. Chris Bogie, who witnessed the fall, said, "The first thing we heard was cracking and then it slowly toppled over onto the large limb. Thankfully nobody was sitting on the when it fell." (Courtesy of Chris Bogie)

Generations of climbers left their initials on the bark of the lowest climbing branch, whose top was smooth from years of seated visitors. (PETE CORSON / pcorson@ajc.com)

The tree, possibly more than 100 years old, sat near the entrance to the park's gazebo bridge.(PETE CORSON / pcorson@ajc.com)

Some climbers were known venture further up the tree's horizontal branches. (PETE CORSON / pcorson@ajc.com)

The Piedmont Park Conservancy says that now that the trunk and branches are cut, they may reveal the tree's age, estimated to be more than 100 years. (PETE CORSON / pcorson@ajc.com)

The Climbing Magnolia was one of the most popular places for portraits in Piedmont Park. The tree succumbed to rot on Friday night. (Peter Lami / Courtesy of the Piedmont Park Conservancy)

The 74th annual Dogwood Festival is framed by the climbing branch of Piedmont Park's Climbing Magnolia in this 2010 file photo. In a park full of trees, the Climbing Magnolia was one of Piedmont Park's most recognizable. (Jason Getz / AJC file)

The Piedmont Park Conservancy is looking into possibly salvaging some of the Climbing Magnolia's wood and turning it into keepsakes. "It's just a really important tree that has created a lot of memories for people," Conservancy CEO Mark Banta says.

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The sun has set on a popular Midtown Atlanta landmark. The Piedmont Park Climbing Magnolia fell on Friday night and had to be removed. (PETE CORSON / pcorson@ajc.com)

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