Q: What’s the history behind the round building that you can see from Interstate 85, near the Ga. 400 ramps? It’s right off the interstate. It has such an iconic shape.
A: You've asked about one of the most recognizable structures in Atlanta, a building that's survived more than 50 years in a city of rapid change.
The story goes that architect Henri Jova was trying to design a building that met the demands of that location in the early 1960s.
Interstate 85 was on one side.
Monroe Drive was on the other.
He could design it to face the highway, but then the back would be seen from the road. Or if he situated it to face Monroe Drive, thousands of commuters couldn’t see the front.
The compromise was a circular design and a futuristic look that remains a stand out.
“And that’s really why this building is so distinct,” said Stephanie Cherry-Farmer, a representative of the Georgia chapter of Docomomo, a group that is dedicated to the preservation of buildings of the modern movement. “It’s really indicative of the expressway culture in Atlanta that was fast developing and becoming the key method of moving people around Atlanta at that time.”
She said the building is an interpretation of how significant the expressways would become to the city.
Jova’s renowned round building at 2160 Monroe Drive began life as a Trust Company Bank branch in 1962 (the initial cost was $386,000) and nearly immediately received an award from the American Institute of Architects.
It remained a bank until 2000, when it closed. It’s since been a series of restaurants and bars — notably Piebar — and is now occupied by Cirque Daiquiri Bar and Grill.
Docomomo and other groups are working to have the building designated as a city landmark. That would offer protection from redevelopment and demolition proposals, like a recent one that wanted to convert the property into a self-storage facility.
Preservationists point to several reasons why the building remains important.
- It's round, and there are few of those in Atlanta.
- It's an early interpretation of modern architecture in Atlanta.
- It's an architect-designed resource that's intact and minimally altered.
- It's also, as Cherry-Farmer said, "rare in the context of that neighborhood, in terms of its representation of mid-20th century commercial development."
“From a community standpoint, everybody knows this building,” she added. “I think it’s certainly iconic in terms of community character and recognition. It’s such an unique building. People identify with it even if they don’t know what it used to be or they’ve never been there.”
About the Author
