It’s been nearly four years since news broke that the Braves would be moving to Cobb County. About nine months ago, the team played their final game at the Hank Aaron Drive stadium.
And now, a day after July 4th, construction workers are pulling down the iconic eleven letters that have stood over the entrance for years.
Locals have had a lot of time to process the move; Turner Field hasn’t technically been Turner Field for a while now. Still, the removal of the sign is a symbolic ending of sorts.
Georgia State University and Atlanta developer Carter & Associates bought the 68-acre site last year for $30 million and put forth a redevelopment plan that includes a mix of retail, offices, student housing, apartments and a southern extension of Georgia State's campus. Plans also call for The Ted to become a football stadium and a new baseball field to go where the Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium used to be.
The plan worries some residents of surrounding neighborhoods, some of whom have wanted GSU and Carter to sign a legal agreement to address gentrification and other issues that could result from redevelopment.
Protesters set up what became known as "Tent City" next to the future Georgia State Stadium in early April. Georgia State University police removed tents and property from the encampment in early June.
GSU’s senior project manager, Brian Carroll, said the letters each weigh about 250 to 300 pounds.
The letters will be stored and repurposed at a later date, according to GSU.
While the signage will be different, the seats — which were also used during the 1996 Olympics — aren’t going anywhere, according to Carroll.
Renovations are "every bit of 80 percent" complete, he said. The stadium is on schedule to open for the school team's first home game in eight weeks.
This article has been updated.
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