The old with the new
A grand arch was constructed in Atlanta this summer, just a couple blocks away from my office. The idea came from an Atlanta citizen who wanted to build a monument to his hometown and, inside it, offer the public a history of the city. The arch is a scaled down version of the Arc de Triumph in Paris. It is a classical icon in the midst of a modern development and, indeed, a modern city. The monument stands in the middle of Atlantic Station, a muli-billion dollar mixed-use development at the location of an abandoned steel mill. In the immediate vicinity lie modern, bright-colored apartments and high-rise condos.
The classical architecture is particularly striking in the city of Atlanta. Ever since the battles of the civil war left the city in rumbles and embers, the attitude has always been to tear down the old to make way for the new. Although this arch is very new, it looks like a transplant from ancient Greece or Rome. The structure stands 73 feet tall and is the largest public monument built in the U.S. since the Jefferson Memorial. I have yet to go inside the arch, which contains galleries showcasing the history of Atlanta. However, I have walked around the arch and felt like I was in a time capsule, standing beneath a classical architectural statement amidst a hustling, modern city.
Jul 31, 2008 8:14 PM
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