Category: Major Projects

Centennial Olympic Park: 1996 to Now

The 1996 Summer Olympic Games were hosted here in Atlanta, Georgia. For this event, Centennial Olympic Park was created downtown, near where Luckie Street meets Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard. The park itself has seen athletes and patrons from all over the world, competing against one another in so many different sporting events. The park has seen triumph and tragedy and has left a lasting impression on the city of Atlanta.

Upon visiting the park, I entered through the entrance nearest Skyview Atlanta. The giant Ferris wheel loomed over the park, almost as if it were its protector. Right inside the entrance to the park is where children usually play in the summer, splashing about in the fountains of water that spurt out from the ground. Near there, the park has small ponds, contained by concrete, where people sat. Some people were waiting to meet someone, while other people were sitting there with loved ones, presumably on dates. I visited the park early in the week, and it was filled with people walking around, coming in and out of the Coca-cola Museum and the Georgia Aquarium. The atmosphere was cheery, just like any other public park in the city.

However, beyond the splash pads and the ponds stood the statue that pays tribute to the 1996 Olympics. I had been to the park numerous times and walked past this statue just like everyone else, as I did again on my first visit this week. After some research, I learned of the tragedy that was the terrorist attack at the ’96 Games. Twenty years ago, during the summer, a bomb was detonated in the middle of the park. The explosion resulted in two deaths, numerous injuries, and immeasurable fear from citizens worldwide. The event was one that shook the world. Knowing this, I returned to the park Friday night and spent a considerable amount of time standing at the statue. I hadn’t realized the immense historical significance this park held, and having such knowledge altered my perspective. Coincidentally on that Friday night, Centennial was yet again at the forefront of a movement meant to unite people of all nationalities and races, for a large portion of Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard was blocked off for a protest by the NAACP.  The protest was part of the Black Lives Matter movement, following the recent killing of an African American. The serious feeling that surrounded the area is one that I could imagine was close to the same feelings in the days after the 1996 bombing at the park.

I found it so fascinating how much my perception of the site could change in the course of a few days. The combination of the park’s history, the nighttime air, and the protest happening outside the park gates helped to emphasize Centennial’s strong historic importance to the city of Atlanta. As I left the park that night, I could almost tangibly feel the park’s imperative role in defining the city we call home.

Splash Fountains

https://sites.gsu.edu/mcreagan1/files/2016/09/PCWY6189-18vivis.mov

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This video is from the fountains near one of the park entrances. On any given day, you can find children playing in the fountains with their parents watching from the outside of the splash pads. The park is very family-oriented, given the fact that most families that live in the downtown area come here with their children when the weather is nice. When I visited the park, it was still extremely hot, and there were a lot of kids playing in the water to cool off.

Tribute to the 1996 Olympics

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This artifact is the most important in understanding the historical context of Centennial Olympic Park. The statue is a symbol to represent the Olympic Games of 1996, which made the park as famous as it is today. The statue looms over the park and has the Olympic rings placed on the top of the columns. The area surrounding the sculpture was not very crowded, as it is not as much of a tourist attraction as one would think.

Skyview Atlanta

The Ferris wheel near Centennial Olympic Park is called Skyview Atlanta. At night, the wheel is lit up with an array of colors, making it visible from anywhere in the park. When I visited the first time, it was during the day, and people were in line down the block to get on the ride. Most of the people in line were young couples, presumably on dates. When I visited at night, however, the ride was closed, and the area surrounding Skyview had the same eerie feeling you would experience near an abandoned amusement park.

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Georgia Aquarium: Tank or Bank?

“Boosting Demand in the ‘experience Economy.’” n. pag. Print.

The Georgia Aquarium opened for business in 2005. That year alone, over 3.5 million people traipsed through the carpeted walkways of the building to see the 8 million gallons of water that thousands aquatic animals call home. By 2008, however, the company was presented with the issue of a decline in the number of visitors annually by over 1 million. In order to fix this, the aquarium had to adjust its marketing strategies specifically to fit the tastes of Atlanta’s population, paying particular attention to the areas of Atlanta in which the most returning customers came from. By tracking the interests of Atlanta inhabitants, researchers were given a better understanding of the Atlanta public and were able to create a more enjoyable experience. The results made the aquarium consistently one of the most-visited sites in the state, presenting Atlanta in a more positive light. The aquarium’s impact on the city is apparent in the way that the area surrounding Centennial Olympic Park has developed into an area consistently occupied by visitors.

I saw this article as a good beginning point because it describes how the aquarium had to adapt to unique way in which Atlanta people behave. The Georgia Aquarium has become a part of Atlanta’s identity because of its resulting widespread appeal. Most other articles I found spoke of the engineering behind the building, but this article gave insight in to how the aquarium molted in to a place for Atlanta’s people and the culture of Atlanta.