The Olympic Rings situated at the front of Centennial Olympic Park are a fairly recent addition to the city of Atlanta, but are already iconic. The 11 foot tall interactive sculpture that almost always has people climbing on it. I went to take my picture with it at 1pm on a Monday and even then there was a line for photos.

The Rings were installed in 2019 in an effort to further commemorate the 1996 Olympics, which of course took place in Atlanta. This particular set of rings has a formal name of “The Spectacular,” even though everyone just calls it the Olympic Rings.

They serve as an entry point to a beautiful 22-acre park. The land that Centennial now sits on was previously rundown lots, but were transformed to serve as a social hub for the Games. Now the Park connects several major tourist spots in the city, such as the Aquarium, Coca-Cola Factory, College Football Hall of Fame, and more. The Rings is a great place to enter the park, especially on a nice day out.

I personally have always loved this park since I first came to GSU. Back when I lived on campus, I would come every few days when the weather was nice to read in the park, and I always stopped and stood by “The Spectacular” for a bit. It was always nice seeing tourists taking pictures with the rings before going on to the Coke Factory or Aquarium.

My tie with this park even go back further than when the Rings were first installed. My mom was a graduate student at UGA when the Games were happening, and she had a job as a driver for some of the athletes that had events that were held in Athens. She received free memorabilia such as a shirt, hat, and even a pair of shoes and I always found that so cool. It apparently even went one step further. My mom was told that her and the rest of the workers had their names engraved on one of the bricks in the park, but she had no idea where it was. I had always wanted to find her brick but after finding a brick locator site, I unfortunately found out that people that to pay for engraved bricks. So while it was disappointing to learn that my mom’s name wasn’t somewhere in the park, I have still always loved this area of the city.

This is the place I almost died. It was traumatizing. The car’s lights blinded my eyes. I thought I was going to leave this earth. I have passed this area several times. How did it come to this?

It was a normal day. I was walking to school. GA State. It’s an aright school. I went to my classes. I was walking down the famous original Downtown Peachtree when I saw the light was changing. I thought I would miss the light, so I rushed across the block to the other side.

Thats when the car almost hit me. A large vehicle: I think one of them the West Mar shuttle vans. Thank God the car slowed down and stopped. Christ saved my life that day.

The place that I almost got hit was right near the 5 points area of the city (basically near the center of the city). I had no idea. It is the original area where the Native Americans (the Muscogee, Creek, and other tribes) had pathways/roads that led to a village/town in that area. Not only that, this area is where the Natives held important ceremonies and is the original path for Peachtree St. It has been the site of the 1906 Atlanta race riots, music videos of famous rappers like JID in Money or Ludacris in his GA song, and several times I have gotten looked at crazy for not lending dollars to homeless people as a poor college student.

This is a photo of me walking by this old decrepit sign of that little square basically the intersections of Decatur Street, Marietta Street NW (both lanes), Peachtree Street north and south, and Edgewood Avenue. I feel like an Atlantan now because my street cred is always being judged because I am a non-tough non-gang affiliated short black man born in Decatur, GA and raised in Stone Mountain, GA in Metro East Atlanta.

Here is the Streetview. Use the preview if it doesn’t work.

Since freshman year of college, I have visited the Underground Atlanta. During my sophomore year, I saw a mural on the side of the Connally Hotel building that caught my attention. There is a painting of a man on his knees begging with his hands together. In the middle of his chest, you see a straw draining him until he is empty. The color inside the man is black. This stuck with me because even when you are at your lowest life and have nothing, life will continue to take more. Even though I love Atlanta, I still am troubled by the history of other black people before me who struggled to make it in this city. Even when I see homelessness on the streets in Atlanta asking for money for food or substances, I think of this mural.

This mural was painted by Murcia, known as Sam3 a Spanish artist. This mural is 16 stories expressing hopelessness and a full heart. The mural was made during the Living Walls Conference in 2011. The building that the mural is on was built in 1916 and designed by William Lee Stoddart. It was originally five stories before adding eleven more during renovation in the 1980s. The orginial five story design of terracotta façade was kept. Currently, the Fairfield Inn & Suites Hotel resides there. 

When walking around campus, I always love paying attention to the small details and the specific architecture each building has. The Empire Building, or the J. Mack Robinson College of Business as we would know it, is located at 35 Broad Street and truly has some exquisite high-reliefs. There are various colors, designs, arches, scallops, and edges engraved uniquely on each side. My favorite parts are the waves and seashells above the first set of windows on the ground floor of the side facing the university’s Commons Building.

The “Empire Building” was its original name and it changed frequently based on the occupant, like the Citizens & Southern National Bank or Atlanta Trust Company Building. Today, you can hear it be referred to as the J. Mack Robinson College of Business. It also houses the Bank of America Financial Center on the opposite side. The building was built in 1901 and was one of the city’s first to be constructed with a steel frame, which made it very feasible to redesign and remodel over time, given its multiple occupants and architects involved.

Sources:

Robert M. Craig. (2012). “J. Mack Robinson College of Business Administration Building” https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/GA-01-121-0042

City of Atlanta. (2025). “C & S National Bank Building”. https://www.atlantaga.gov/government/departments/city-planning/historic-preservation/property-district-information/c-s-national-bank-building

I walk into this building quite often for a cup of coffee before my next class and have never looked up or thought of why the flat iron building was built with such unique architecture. The Flatiron Building in Atlanta is one of the city’s most fascinating and underrated landmarks. Built in 1897, it actually predates New York’s more famous Flatiron Building by five years, making it a unique piece of architectural history.

Its distinctive triangular shape and beautiful Neo-Classical design make it stand out in downtown Atlanta, smushed among modern high-rises. Despite being over a century old, the building has continued to evolve, serving as home to businesses, entrepreneurs, and even a Microsoft Innovation Center in recent years. There’s something special about a building that has witnessed so much change and still remains an important part of the city’s landscape.

The Roman numerals on the side of the Flatiron Building in Atlanta mark the year it was completed: MDCCCXCVII (1897). These numerals are a subtle yet distinctive feature of the building, representing its historical significance and adding a touch of old world charm to its architecture. It’s an interesting detail that ties the building even more to its century long legacy in the city. It intrigues me as the coffee shop entrance is right below it and my eyes never made eye contact with it.

For me, the Flatiron Building represents resilience and adaptability. It’s a reminder that history isn’t just about the past, but about how we carry it forward. It also serves as a reminder that change is good, and adapting to new surroundings is what makes a place truly unique. In a city known for constantly reinventing itself, the Flatiron stands as proof that old and new can coexist beautifully. I love the way it breaks from the typical grid-like structures of downtown, proving that sometimes, unconventional shapes and ideas are what make a place truly memorable.

Just like a cute coffee shop, it has a romantic, timeless quality that invites you to slow down and appreciate the surroundings. Whether you’re just passing by or stopping to appreciate its unique charm, it’s a building that makes you pause and think about all the stories it holds. Reminder always look up, maybe you’ll see something as unique as The Flatiron Building!

For three years, I have walked past the Hurt Building and admired its grandeur. I frequently ponder its history as I question how it is used today. Why do I ever see no more than a handful of individuals inside? Does Georgia State University own this property – like it does so much of the surrounding Downtown Atlanta area? Why is this building, respectively, such a fine one? Acknowledging that a price always accompanies the divine, I seek to better understand this structure’s history and the impact its presence has had on our city.

Designed with the New York City Flatiron Building in mind, the grandeur of the Hurt Building is no accident¹. Its 18 magnificent floors are clad in a creamy glazed brick, verdant ornamental terracotta, and Georgia Mezzotint Marble². The latter of which greets pedestrians and businesspeople alike as they approach from Five Points intersection. The graceful Corinthian columns, not at all intimidating or severe, have romanced me since enrolling at Georgia State.

Projecting the name of its owner, the Hurt Building represented the height of Joel Hurt’s legacy in Atlanta. According to the City of Atlanta, “Joel Hurt was one of the most dynamic business leaders in turn-of-the-century Atlanta.”¹ In addition to being a trained civil engineer and a major real estate developer, Hurt co-founded the Atlanta Trust and Banking Company – later merging with SunBank and ultimately becoming Truist Bank¹. Completed in 1926, The Hurt Building served as the official crown atop Hurt’s modest empire.

Beginning construction in 1913, the Hurt Building was completed in three stages. Upon completion of the first stage, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta would move in as the buildings first tenant³. Upon completion of it’s own building in 1918, the Atlanta Fed would vacate the Hurt Building for Marietta Street – where it would stay until 1964³. The third and final stage of the Hurt Building was completed in 1926, by then having already become a bustling office building for law firms, financial institutions, and various professional service firms⁴. In 2013, the Hurt Building was acquired by Gamma Real Estate for $33.5 million⁵. Presently, the building serves as a home for the Atlanta Institute of Architects, a Grady Healthcare system satellite office, online educator Herzing University, and the Georgia Innocence Project to name a few.

Works Cited

1. City Hall. (2025). Hurt Building . City of Atlanta, GA. https://www.atlantaga.gov/government/departments/city-planning/historic-preservation/property-district-information/hurt-building

2. Daneker, J. G. (1927). The Romance of Georgia Marble (p. 51). Thomsen-Ellis Company.

3. Kiddle. (2024, August 9). Hurt building facts for kids. Hurt Building Facts for Kids. https://kids.kiddle.co/Hurt_Building

4. Sudduth, V. (2012, July 27). Classical Green [PDF]. HPB Magazine. https://www.hpbmagazine.org/hurt-building-atlanta-ga/

5. Kelley, C. (2016, November 8). Historic hurt building in downtown has a new owner. Rough Draft Atlanta. https://roughdraftatlanta.com/2016/11/08/historic-hurt-building-downtown-new-owner/

Not many students at GSU outside the School of Music even know this building exists. If you go to Aderhold along Luckie Street and continue across Forsyth Street past Rialto Theater, you’ll pass by a blue decorated window that is the lounge of Standard. However, you can’t enter from there. The actual entrance to the building is pretty nondescript and in the alleyway next door right by Aamar Indian Cuisine. This entrance is on Fairlie Street, which is different from its mailing address on Luckie Street.

The Standard Building is one of the oldest buildings on campus. It is nested on the same block as Rialto Center for the Arts and its cousin the Haas Howell Building along with other private businesses and residences. All 3 of the GSU owned properties are registered historic buildings due to their age and history and were purchased by GSU in the 1990s. Today they serve as the main buildings for the School of Music and its related programs, including the Rialto Center for Performing Arts. As the home for the School of Music, most of the students there spend time in the lounge on the first floor of the Standard Building, which has the window previously mentioned on Luckie Street. Curiously, unlike most other GSU buildings, access to Standard is restricted via PantherCard at all times and requires you to tap/swipe and use the automatic door opener, something that no other regular instructional building does. Haas Howell, its neighboring building, does not have such a restriction. The building contains a lounge for School of Music students, instrument storage, lockers, small classrooms, offices for music professors, and practice rooms complete with Steinway pianos.

Standard is by no means boring like its name might entail, especially to me. The building is definitely worthy of its historical place recognition. It is a former office building and lies in the Fairlie-Poplar Historic District. An original mail chute from when the building was still an office lines the elevator lobby across all floors of the building, albeit sealed off. Its architecture is certainly more intricate than its newer built GSU counterparts. From the view of the practice rooms inside you can see the original windows that lined the building and the intricate trim that was all the fashion of the time. It’s a very unique building at GSU and not a lot of people at the university know about its existence much less been inside of it. Despite not being a music major, I spend a decent amount of time there as many of my friends are music majors and I do play in a university ensemble so I do use the practice rooms there occasionally.

Lately, students at the School of Music have been critical about the state of the building as it is certainly showing its age. Both elevators are small and cramped. They are also prone to breaking down, and as of last semester there was a period of about 3 months where only 1 elevator was working for all 11 floors of the building. The HVAC system is notorious for making the building too hot in the winter and not cool enough in the summer. The stairs are small and not meant for students carrying instruments. The layout of floors is confusing and undocumented, meaning most people learn where things are by word of mouth or finding it themselves. The windows fixtures, ceiling, and drywall are in need of a refresh and aren’t in the best of shape. Regardless, Standard is an interesting, quirky building. It’s a part of GSU that is a bit unknown to most and more people should know about it.

Touch the Earth is Georgia State University’s outdoor recreation program. Touch the Earth offers a plethora of experiences and there are also different facilities inside the Touch the Earth bracket. The different branches consist of the climbing wall and equipment rental inside the rec center, trips and clinics, and the challenge course located in the Stone Mountain area. Touch the Earth is important to me because I work there! I work as a student assistant inside of the Georgia State Recreation Center. A lot of my time is spent at the climbing wall helping patrons or helping rent out gear to students and faculty. I started working at the rec center in Spring of 2024 and I have loved it ever since. 

Georgia State University first started Touch the Earth and when it was founded it did not have a name. The university purchased the Indian Creek Recreation Center in 1938. The university had the responsibility of the 15.5 acres acquired and had many plans for the future. At first there was not much that resided in the area, but as time passed more and more items were introduced. In 1973, the university officially made a name for outdoor recreation called Recreational Services and created the name Touch the Earth and from then on out Touch the Earth continued to expand. The physical Recreation Center building was not built until 1994, but has stood strong since. 

At Touch the Earth, I have learned so much outdoor and climbing information that will be helpful for the rest of my life. I have a lot of new skills that I would not have had without this position. And when in doubt… righty tighty, lefty loosey.

The University Commons is a dorm for Georgia State University located at 141 Piedmont Ave NE Atlanta, GA 30303. This building has been providing housing for the university students for years. It was opened in 2007 and now houses approximately 2,000 students, with a variety of different room options. It is divided into 4 buildings, A-D. Within each building, and on each floor, there is a study room for the students. In the center of each building is a courtyard, which provides students a private space to themselves to enjoy the outdoors. The building also is located above the personal parking deck for the students of the university. 

The reason why I decided to focus on University Commons was because I actually used to live there myself in my sophomore year at Georgia State University. I really never got to think about the history of the building, but if I lived there I think that knowing the history behind it is important. More so, the building is located in downtown Atlanta, which already has a large history behind it. I am interested in what used to be on this plot of land before students moved into it. What was there before the university moved into the city and started to grow. I think that dormitories should be able to provide the students who live there about the history of what was there before.

I have known about Walter’s Clothing since before my time at Georgia State. My dad and my uncle have been going to Walter’s since the 1990s. My grandmother also worked at a men’s clothing store nearby on Walton Street called Robley’s, so my dad also visited Walter’s as a child in the 1980s. My grandmother dressed Kool and the Gang before one of their shows at Robley’s, so there has always been some family lore around this area. There is something about the vintage feel mixed with the modern fashion that is captivating about the store. I have bought my fair share of presents for loved ones from Walter’s.

Walter’s Clothing was founded in 1952 by Walter Strauss. Strauss was born in Alsfeld, Germany and came to Atlanta to escape Nazi Germany. This was also a troubling time in the United States due to the tensions surrounding the civil rights movement. Strauss decided to cater to and employ the Black Atlanta population, which was bold for the time but helped cement Walter’s as an Atlanta staple. I think this encapsulates the Atlanta culture and why Walter’s Clothing is still as important of a place today.

It must be the romantic in me.

I’m thinking back to turn-of-the-century Atlanta. When well-dressed men gathered at Alonzo Herndon’s elegant Crystal Palace for the “best haircut –– so his advertising claimed –– in the world.” 66 Peachtree Street was the place Atlanta’s (white only) elite businessmen and politicians came to be pampered in sumptuous leather chairs by a team of (black only) barbers. However elite, no blacks could be publicly served. Not even Alonzo Herndon.

Alonzo Herndon knew the rules. And it helped him –– astonishingly, a former slave with no formal education –– become Atlanta’s first black millionaire. Could there be a better rags-to-riches story? In my head, I conjure images of Henry James’ Gilded Age where the most prominent white men in the city (New York or Atlanta) expected the best, got the best, and openly shared their secrets in front of a black service class they arrogantly dismissed as deaf and mute. I want to know those secrets.

I want to be –– in my imagination –– the proverbial fly on the wall, watching and eavesdropping, as the daily interplay of race and class unfolds. I want to get to know how the black barbers lived and thought about their white clientele. How were they trained? Who exactly was their clientele? Were there ever any clashes? What business was conducted there? How about their boss? Did Herndon treat and pay them well? So many questions… I want to know what, in short, a day in the life at the Crystal Palace was like, and everything that made it unique and special. Ultimately, was it a symbol of the times or harbinger of change yet to come?

Welcome to Sparks Hall! Since I transferred to GSU in 2023, I have almost exclusively attended classes in this building. This is where the Geosciences department classrooms are located so I have formed a pretty strong attachment to the building, and specifically one hallway.

Sparks Hall was built in 1955 specifically for classroom use. I can tell it is an older building by the cracks in the wall and the no longer functioning air conditioning in the classroom I frequent. The bathrooms are fairly clean, and nothing is dirty in the building, despite it being about 70 years old! Honestly of all the buildings to spend my degree in, this can’t possibly be the worst one. I spend hours and hours every week learning about our planet, how we inhabit it, and creating maps in the computer lab. I meet other students there, both older and younger than me, and we learn and teach one another. I’ve written one of the best and one of the worst essays of my college career in Sparks 155 while other students wait in the hallway for their classroom to open.

All in all, Sparks Hall has positively impacted my experience at GSU and I’m very sad to see it go in the upcoming renovation project. But thankfully, I’ll have graduated before they start the project, so I can always keep the memory of Sparks Hall in my heart.

After a long day at school, I often exit the library, put in my ear buds, and listen to Roberta Flack, Paul Simon, or whoever else as I stroll around the city. It calms my mind before I hit the interstate traffic and work through another night in the food industry. While my walking routes differ, I always start off by going down the student plaza towards the Hurt Building. Before crossing the intersection, I can see, towering over Woodruff Park, these six characters: M U S E ‘ S. The letters are displayed on a vertical sign from a time long ago that then gave the promise of department goods and commerce. Now the sign now can be seen as a symbol, the meaning of the symbol being subjective to the viewer. Perhaps a symbol of change? Antiqueness in the midst of modernity? Or maybe it is just a relic from a pastime that is nice on the eyes.

While I do not know much about Muse’s as it was, I do know it was a department store and it was open through the majority of the 1900s. I also know that while this building is no longer a department store, it is currently a space for lofts and apartments with the original building and sign both intact, most certainly with renovations here and there. The lofts that occupy the building now are rightfully called Lofts at Muse’s, so the buildings namesake is being kept, and the sign still has relevance in the ever-changing city.

Other than its natural beauty and long history, my love for this sign grew in a way that is very specific to me. I love old relics and old staples in society that show what used to be. I also love photos and the act of visualizing film photography in my head. Just before I cross the intersection onto Hurt Plaza, I can see the big sign lording over the street in front of me and Woodruff Park further down the way. When looking at it from this view, I vividly imagine a photograph being taken from that very spot. The photo that I visualize is one that is shot on a film camera as the image is zoomed in between the buildings and trees with focus on the letters that make up the word “Muse’s”. While that love is very specific to me, many other people may love that sign for various other reasons but my love for movies and photography have informed the way I look at this relic.

So much of Atlanta’s architecture and infrastructure has changed over the last century, not all for the worse, but certainly not all for the better either. I truly do believe that it is a blessing the sign is still a part of the city today. Some may say it is just a sign, but I believe it to be one of last windows into old Atlanta and it should be cherished as such.

Established in 1971, GSU’s student-run radio station Album 88 was once at the “leading edge of your radio dial.” Broadcasting with the call sign WRAS (which stands for “Radio at State,” because WGSU was taken) on 88.5 FM, it is still very much around, but unfortunately Album 88’s glory days are long gone. In 2014, the school secretly sold off 14 hours of the daily airtime to NPR affiliate Georgia Public Broadcasting. The radio tower off of I-20 is still owned by the school, but the students only get to broadcast on the FM waves from 7pm-5am daily. However, the students stream their broadcast 24/7 online and on the 88.5 HD2 frequency which you can enable in some cars.

Album 88 was named for the station’s signature approach to its music rotation: playing multiple songs from each new album instead of only the big singles. The station created its brand in the 80s to differentiate itself from the other stations rather than just going by its call sign WRAS. Album 88 enjoyed massive listenership throughout the 1980s-2000s and helped popularize artists such as the B52s, REM, Outkast, and more. Today, the music consists of local and underground albums released in the past 6 months along with weekly specialty programming after 7pm.

I’ve been involved with our radio station for two years and now hold the Promotions Director position, managing concert ticket giveaways and the social media among other things. The station is still persevering, we have 40+ DJs on the schedule with a few more in the training process, as well as 15 weekly specialty shows. Though it’s a shame that most GSU students don’t know we have a radio station at all anymore, I’ve found it to be an incredibly fulfilling experience to participate in. I don’t plan on going into the music/radio/entertainment industry, but my time at Album 88 has introduced me to so many friends and improved my confidence, and it’s truly just an awesome space to get to experience my college years in.

I pass by this monument everyday coming onto campus (the bus I take to campus lets us off just one block down from it). But the first time I really ever noticed it was on the “Women in Downtown Atlanta” walking tour with Amy Durrell that I went on for this course.

Barbara Miller Asher and I

The monument is a representation of Barbara Miller Asher. She gained community favor through 14 years of volunteer work and was elected to her first term as a city council member in Atlanta in 1977, serving multiple terms.¹ The statue commemorating her is located on the intersection of Marietta St. NW and Broad St. NW in front of Broad Street Plaza.

I’m of the opinion that women should be taken much more seriously in history, and the records we have for women’s accomplishments and impacts should be under much more scrutiny. Barbara Miller Asher is no exception. I was almost able to find more information on the building of this monument and her marriage to her husband than I was on her achievements. Commemorating doesn’t even feel like the right word to describe the presence of a statue in her likeness. To me, it feels like more of just an acknowledgement that she existed.

I can’t help but compare the depictions of a woman to the depictions of a man. I believe it is very indicative to the culture’s attitude of women’s role in society. Here, while Barbara Miller Asher is at street-level, Henry Grady’s likeness (only one block down, also on Marietta St. NW) is much grander, being several feet above the road and holding a godlike stature above two women who look meek and in need of protecting. Barbara looks much more inviting. I’ve noticed that she has a smile on her face, her knees being bent makes her look less intimidating, and overall she just seems very welcoming. To me, her monument is a reminder that women are people, while statues commemorating men display that they get to assume the role of something more than that.

Since that walking tour, I know I’ll never be able to come to the Georgia State University campus without thinking of Barbara Miller Asher and women’s inescapable relegation to the background. In a way, her newfound prominence in my mind is already a stride in defeating that social norm.

1. “Asher, Barbara Miller, November 20, 1985.” The Breman Museum , November 20, 1985. https://archivesspace.thebreman.org/repositories/2/archival_objects/27944. ↩︎

The big concrete plaza in front of 25 Park Place is kind of blah, but every once in a while I stop there to admire the marble columns in front of the building. They remind me that so many of Atlanta’s beautiful old structures have been destroyed and replaced by modern architecture. But I think it’s kind of sly that someone kept these pieces here, so we might ponder them. What were they? Why are they there now?

These three marble columns (and the façade behind it, inside the GSU Career Services center) were once part of the Equitable building, which stood where GSU’s CMII building is now. When it was built in 1892, it was the tallest skyscraper in the city (eight stories — back then that was a really tall building). It was originally known as the Trust Company of Georgia building.

When the building was demolished in 1971, its eighteen columns were scattered around the city. I have no idea why these three are here today, or how the building’s arched entrance came to be preserved and installed inside. Maybe the SunTrust Banks did it, when they owned this building?

However they got here, I’m always glad to notice these lovely pieces of craftsmanship. It feels like some weird random piece of old Atlanta has been plopped down on a barren and characterless public urban plaza. I dig the juxtaposition.