The story of the phoenix is a well-worn metaphor for the history of Atlanta. Reborn from its own ashes, the mythological bird symbolizes reinvention, difficulties and breakthroughs, a resurgent spirit and a shining unwritten future full of hope. Likewise, the newly designed Atlanta History Center by Stanley Beaman & Sears, which came in second in the international competition, must be reconceived to capture and reflect the uplifting energy coursing through the city. The diversity and spirit of Atlanta can no longer be reflected by a series of linear, static, black box galleries and dusty displays. In short, the time for the Atlanta History Center is not the past – the time is right now. More images and architects’ description after the break.
A newly defined architecture for the Atlanta History Center is shaped by the embedded cultural and physical forces that flow through its walls and the surrounding site. The formal gesture emerges from the landscape, flies through the center of the building boldly redefining the interior spaces, and bursts forth into the community with a grand, uplifting sweep of its wings. At once sheltering, inviting and dynamic, the new museum is created by flexible, adaptable, interactive, immersive zones.
