Atlanta’s CNN Center to be reopened as The CTR
Atlanta’s CNN Center served as a central meeting place when Ted Turner’s television network was based there. But it lost its luster when the news network consolidated all of its operations at the Turner Broadcasting Techwood campus.
It was purchased by the Atlanta-based CP Group, which this week has announced plans to return the building to its longtime status as Atlanta’s prime gathering space.
Reborn as The CTR, it will be anchored by a 24,000-sq.-ft., fully reimagined central atrium that will hold 12 dining spots and the CTR Bar, which the CP Group reports will be the city’s largest watering hole.
“This moment marks a shift in this project from vision to a lived experience,” said Chris Eachus, a founding partner of CP Group.
“For decades, this building functioned as a fortress,” he noted. “With the building opening back up to the city, we are reconnecting one of Atlanta’s landmarks with the people and energy of downtown, bringing it back as a destination that’s welcoming, useful, and designed for every day, all-day use.”
CTR Food Works will be run by Robert Montwaid, creator of the Chattahoochee Food Works in Atlanta and Gansevoort Market in New York. Montwaid has signed a long-term lease for the dining center that will feature Fuzzy’s seafood, the La Tropical Latin kitchen, Patty & Frank’s burgers and hot dogs, and Flora D’Italia.
Its featured restaurant brand will be Mastro’s Ocean Club, which has flourished as a premier eatery in Manhattan, Newport Beach, and Miami.
“This new downtown landmark will pair the brand’s world-renowned reputation for top-tier steaks and fresh seafood with its signature high-energy atmosphere,” according to a CP Group press release.
The restaurants and full-service bar are expected to open in time for next year’s FIFA World Cup, which will be played in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium will host some of the tournament's matches.
CP Group invested $50 million in exterior renovations and art installations in remaking the CNN building, and it expects to spend another $15 million on updating its atrium.
“CNN’s departure left a palpable hole in downtown Atlanta, as an icon that once anchored the neighborhood went quiet,” noted CP Group’s release.
“CP Group is reimagining the former CNN Center as an always-on, vibrant destination built for locals first, powered by culture, and designed for all-day experiences that encourage Atlantans to come downtown, stay longer, and come back more often.”
