The Centennial Park District, formerly the Luckie-Marietta District, is a district of

Downtown Atlanta Downtown Atlanta is the central business district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The larger of the city's two other commercial districts ( Midtown and Buckhead), it is the location of many corporate and regional headquarters; city, county, s ...

named after the walkable neighborhood and entertainment district that surround

Centennial Olympic Park Centennial Olympic Park is a public park located in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, owned and operated by the Georgia World Congress Center Authority. It was built by the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG) as part of the infrastructu ...

. The district was originally created in 2007 by Legacy Properties, in support of their redevelopment projects in the district.Leon Stafford, "Builder wants to make downtown district a destination", ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'', July 26, 2008
/ref> However, "Luckie Marietta" was used by a wide range of Atlanta media to refer to the district. The district was rebranded the Centennial Park District and is now under the management of Central Atlanta Progress. The area was mostly one of industrial and warehouse use (see map) and was in decline after the mid-20th century, even after

was built for the

1996 Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

. Developer Legacy's stated goals were to create a district within Downtown Atlanta that would contain entertainment, hotel accommodations and restaurants all within walking distance of each other and of the nearby

Mercedes-Benz Stadium Mercedes-Benz Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Opened in August 2017 as a replacement for the Georgia Dome, it serves as the home stadium of the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL) ...

Philips Arena State Farm Arena (formerly Philips Arena) is a multi-purpose arena located in Atlanta, Georgia. The arena serves as the home venue for the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s Atlanta Hawks. It also served as home to the National Hockey Leag ...

Georgia World Congress Center The Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) is a convention center in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Enclosing some 3.9 million ft2 (360,000 m2) in exhibition space and hosting more than a million visitors each year, the GWCC is the worl ...

CNN Center The CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, is the international headquarters of the Cable News Network (CNN). The main newsrooms and studios for several of CNN's news channels are located in the building. The facility's commercial office space is occu ...

World of Coca-Cola The World of Coca-Cola is a museum, located in Atlanta, Georgia, showcasing the history of the Coca-Cola Company. The complex opened to the public on May 24, 2007, relocating from and replacing the original exhibit, which was founded in 1990 in ...

and

Georgia Aquarium Georgia Aquarium is a public aquarium in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It exhibits hundreds of species and thousands of animals across its seven major galleries, all of which reside in more than of water. It was the largest aquarium in the wor ...

. It would lure visitors to stay, dine, and be entertained near those facilities and attractions instead of in the

Peachtree Center Peachtree Center is a district located in Downtown Atlanta, Georgia. Most of the structures that make up the district were designed by Atlanta architect John C. Portman, Jr. A defining feature of the Peachtree Center is a network of enclosed ped ...

area of Downtown or even

Buckhead Buckhead is the uptown commercial and residential district of the city of Atlanta, Georgia, comprising approximately the northernmost fifth of the city. Buckhead is the third largest business district within the Atlanta city limits, behind Downt ...

. Whereas a few years prior, few facilities existed in the area, by 2011, the district counted 25 restaurants and 6 hotels, the Ventana events center and a helipad. The area is set to add the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vote ...

and Times Square South to its roster of attractions. Currently the District is home to a variety of attractions, restaurants and lounges, event spaces, hotels, and office and retail spaces.

College Football Hall of Fame

The College Football Hall of Fame moved to a new facility on the southwest side of Marietta Street, between Foundry and Baker Streets, and opened in 2014.

Times Square South

In October 2011, Legacy Properties announced plans to build Times Square South at 285 Marietta, at the corner of Baker and Marietta streets. Characteristic of New York City's Times Square, a portion of the facade will be in the form of a dynamic video wall along two sides of a new multi-use building. Designed b
Cooper Carry
Times Square South would have of class A office space and of retail/entertainment attraction space. Times Square South will sit across the street from the College Football Hall of Fame.

Geography

The Centennial Park District defines its boundaries with Centennial Olympic Park as the center and all properties within 1-2 blocks of the park. The

, Philips Arena and Georgia World Congress Center are included because of their proximity.

References

External links

Centennial Park District site

Times Square South at 285 Marietta
Neighborhoods in Atlanta {{Atlanta-stub