Atlanta’s Changing Downtown Viewed Through 3 Buildings

The Bank of America Plaza tower, which has struggled to find tenants in recent years, may soon have a new owner.

RICHARD TANTON / flickr.com/tantonr/

Long the land of parking lots and little economic development, downtown Atlanta might be changing.

Michael Kahn, an architect with Rosser International and editor with Curbed Atlanta, said you can see the change just by looking at three different buildings that were sold or put for sale this week: the Bank of America Plaza, 524 West Peachtree and Two Peachtree Street, also known as the State of Georgia building.

In a conversation with Stephannie Stokes, Kahn shared the story behind each building and considered what their sales collectively say about the potential for development in downtown Atlanta.

“Until recently downtown did not have a lot of advantages,” Kahn said. “All three of these projects are really indicative of a new trend for downtown, and the fact that developers and investors are beginning to see downtown, both in [South of North Avenue] and all the way down to Five Points, as an opportunity that is ready to be taken advantage of.”