Details, timeline revealed for downtown ATL’s ‘The Pitch’

Josh Green

Thu, 02/13/2025 – 14:42

Downtown Atlanta development hounds are familiar with The Stitch. Now, it’s time to meet “The Pitch.”

That’s the name developers and Invest Atlanta officials have bestowed upon a cleanup and activation project planned for a downtown architectural landmark that’s devolved over decades into one of the district’s most notorious eyesores.

According to an Invest Atlanta committee meeting agenda this week, the city’s economic development arm is planning a grant of up to $3.5 million from the Westside Tax Allocation District Ascension Fund to help set the rehabilitation of the long-vacant Atlanta Constitution Building at 143 Alabama St. in motion.

That landmark building will eventually be converted to 46 affordable housing units with 11,600 square feet of ground-floor commercial space where Alabama and Forsyth streets meet downtown. Invest Atlanta expects the conversion to cost $35.2 million overall.

But first, The Pitch.

2026 FIFA World Cup plans for the site’s landmark building, from street level. Gorman & Company; Gensler; via Invest Atlanta

The initial phase will see the stabilization and cleanup of the 1940s structure—plus “daylighting” of its ground-floor commercial space—to begin in May and finish a month before FIFA World Cup matches begin downtown in June 2026.

The Pitch, as it’s called, will enliven the space with cultural events and art activations related to World Cup hoopla. (A diagram included with Invest Atlanta paperwork shows a watch party screen, food trucks, DJ booth, kids play area, pavilion, and more positioned around the old building.) Other changes planned for the first phase call for the addition of digital signage.

How “The Pitch” site is expected to be activated during Atlanta’s World Cup month in 2026. Gorman & Company; Gensler; via Invest Atlanta

According to the Invest Atlanta agenda, the conversion will be finished in February 2028.

“The building will be carefully preserved, ensuring that downtown Atlanta has a vibrant and unique architectural jewel where residents live and socialize,” notes the Invest Atlanta overview. “This deliberate redevelopment effort is expensive and exacting.”

Post-World Cup designs for the historic Alabama Street structure. Gorman & Company; Gensler; via Invest Atlanta

Projected rents for 46 apartments planned for the Atlanta Constitution Building once the World Cup leaves town. Invest Atlanta

After that, phase-two plans call for The Pitch’s open site to become a new building with 197 apartments, with all but seven of those reserved as affordable housing, per Invest Atlanta.

Gorman has designed the transit-oriented project to maximize federal and state historic tax credits, and the developer plans to submit a 9-percent low-income housing tax credit application in May, per the agency.

The new mid-rise apartment building would rise from a current parking lot along Ted Turner Drive, between Five Points and the under-construction Centennial Yards megaproject.

A rare example of Art Moderne-style architecture in the city, the original five-story, 95,000-square-foot structure was built in 1947 for the Atlanta Constitution newspaper, a predecessor to today’s Atlanta Journal-Constitution. That operation departed the building after just a few years.

Georgia Power moved in around 1953 but was gone in the early 1970s, leaving the property vacant ever since. In more recent years, metal shields were placed over windows to prevent encampments. At one point, trees sprouted from the roof.

Invest Atlanta’s quest to remake the landmark building has been a long time coming.

Following a lengthy Request for Proposals process in 2017, a new era for the Atlanta Constitution Building appeared to be dawning, as Invest Atlanta agreed to sell the property to developer Pope & Land, with Place Properties on board to erect a new residential building next door. That scheme wasn’t dissimilar to what Gorman is now proposing.

Initially, those earlier plans called for completing $24 million worth of construction in 2021, but the deal never closed, and redevelopment efforts fizzled.

Companies that responded to the most recent RFP were evaluated on their financial capacity, experience and qualifications, feasibility of their proposal, and redevelopment vision and approach.

How the new mid-rise apartment building would front Ted Turner Drive. Gorman & Company; Gensler

Gorman has been on a building spree at sites around Atlanta in recent years, debuting its first project in Westview and another near MARTA’s Hamilton E. Holmes station in 2024. Another Gorman development with an adaptive-reuse component, Sweet Auburn Grande, has broken ground, while another proposal near Mall West End has more recently entered the pipeline.

Find a closer look at plans for the downtown property’s revitalization in the gallery above.

…

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Images

Post-World Cup designs for the historic Alabama Street structure. Gorman & Company; Gensler; via Invest Atlanta

How “The Pitch” site is expected to be activated during Atlanta’s World Cup month in 2026. Gorman & Company; Gensler; via Invest Atlanta

2026 FIFA World Cup plans for the site’s landmark building, from street level. Gorman & Company; Gensler; via Invest Atlanta

As seen in 2023, the 1947 building’s facade at the intersection of Alabama and Forsyth streets is a rare local example of Art Moderne design.Google Maps

Invest Atlanta

Breakdown of the initial phase of construction scheduled to finish a month before the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Gorman & Company; Gensler

Gorman & Company; Gensler

Planned scope of the new-construction building in relation to the current Art Moderne-style structure.Gorman & Company; Gensler

Planned signage at the corner of Alabama and Forsyth streets. Gorman & Company; Gensler

A digital billboard on the proposed new building overlooking a greenspace where parking lots and active rail lines currently operate. Gorman & Company; Gensler

Gorman & Company; Gensler

How the new mid-rise apartment building would front Ted Turner Drive. Gorman & Company; Gensler

The 143 Alabama St. property’s proximity to Five Points MARTA station, Underground Atlanta, and the Gulch—all of which are in the process of revitalization or redevelopment. Google Maps

Projected rents for 46 apartments planned for the Atlanta Constitution Building once the World Cup leaves town. Invest Atlanta

Breakdown of plans for 197 new apartments for the project overall. Invest Atlanta

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First step calls for cleanup, activation of landmark Atlanta Constitution property

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143 Alabama Street SW

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Details, timeline revealed for downtown ATL’s ‘The Pitch’

Josh Green

Thu, 02/13/2025 – 14:42

Downtown Atlanta development hounds are familiar with The Stitch. Now, it’s time to meet “The Pitch.”That’s the name developers and Invest Atlanta officials have bestowed upon a cleanup and activation project planned for a downtown architectural landmark that’s devolved over decades into one of the district’s most notorious eyesores. According to an Invest Atlanta committee meeting agenda this week, the city’s economic development arm is planning a grant of up to $3.5 million from the Westside Tax Allocation District Ascension Fund to help set the rehabilitation of the long-vacant Atlanta Constitution Building at 143 Alabama St. in motion. That landmark building will eventually be converted to 46 affordable housing units with 11,600 square feet of ground-floor commercial space where Alabama and Forsyth streets meet downtown. Invest Atlanta expects the conversion to cost $35.2 million overall.But first, The Pitch.

2026 FIFA World Cup plans for the site’s landmark building, from street level. Gorman & Company; Gensler; via Invest Atlanta

In October, the agency selected Wisconsin-based affordable housing developer Gorman & Company to take on the Atlanta Constitution Building job, to eventually include new construction next door. Plans call for completing it in two phases. The initial phase will see the stabilization and cleanup of the 1940s structure—plus “daylighting” of its ground-floor commercial space—to begin in May and finish a month before FIFA World Cup matches begin downtown in June 2026. The Pitch, as it’s called, will enliven the space with cultural events and art activations related to World Cup hoopla. (A diagram included with Invest Atlanta paperwork shows a watch party screen, food trucks, DJ booth, kids play area, pavilion, and more positioned around the old building.) Other changes planned for the first phase call for the addition of digital signage.

How “The Pitch” site is expected to be activated during Atlanta’s World Cup month in 2026. Gorman & Company; Gensler; via Invest Atlanta

Conversion of the Atlanta Constitution Building to affordable housing and commercial space will start in August 2026, within weeks of World Cup crowds clearing out, per Invest Atlanta. Plans call for one to three-bedroom units and amenities that include a computer center, community space, and an outdoor gathering area. A breakdown shows some one-bedroom apartments renting for as little as $518 a month. According to the Invest Atlanta agenda, the conversion will be finished in February 2028. “The building will be carefully preserved, ensuring that downtown Atlanta has a vibrant and unique architectural jewel where residents live and socialize,” notes the Invest Atlanta overview. “This deliberate redevelopment effort is expensive and exacting.”

Post-World Cup designs for the historic Alabama Street structure. Gorman & Company; Gensler; via Invest Atlanta

Projected rents for 46 apartments planned for the Atlanta Constitution Building once the World Cup leaves town. Invest Atlanta

After that, phase-two plans call for The Pitch’s open site to become a new building with 197 apartments, with all but seven of those reserved as affordable housing, per Invest Atlanta. Gorman has designed the transit-oriented project to maximize federal and state historic tax credits, and the developer plans to submit a 9-percent low-income housing tax credit application in May, per the agency. The new mid-rise apartment building would rise from a current parking lot along Ted Turner Drive, between Five Points and the under-construction Centennial Yards megaproject. A rare example of Art Moderne-style architecture in the city, the original five-story, 95,000-square-foot structure was built in 1947 for the Atlanta Constitution newspaper, a predecessor to today’s Atlanta Journal-Constitution. That operation departed the building after just a few years. Georgia Power moved in around 1953 but was gone in the early 1970s, leaving the property vacant ever since. In more recent years, metal shields were placed over windows to prevent encampments. At one point, trees sprouted from the roof. Invest Atlanta’s quest to remake the landmark building has been a long time coming.Following a lengthy Request for Proposals process in 2017, a new era for the Atlanta Constitution Building appeared to be dawning, as Invest Atlanta agreed to sell the property to developer Pope & Land, with Place Properties on board to erect a new residential building next door. That scheme wasn’t dissimilar to what Gorman is now proposing.Initially, those earlier plans called for completing $24 million worth of construction in 2021, but the deal never closed, and redevelopment efforts fizzled.Companies that responded to the most recent RFP were evaluated on their financial capacity, experience and qualifications, feasibility of their proposal, and redevelopment vision and approach.

How the new mid-rise apartment building would front Ted Turner Drive. Gorman & Company; Gensler

In selecting Gorman, Invest Atlanta officials pointed to the company’s swifter, in-house design capabilities and 40 years of experience with historic preservation and downtown revitalization, as well as mixed-use, affordable and workforce housing development. Gorman also “proposed the most advantageous offer or deal structure as a financial partner in the redevelopment,” officials noted at the time. Gorman has been on a building spree at sites around Atlanta in recent years, debuting its first project in Westview and another near MARTA’s Hamilton E. Holmes station in 2024. Another Gorman development with an adaptive-reuse component, Sweet Auburn Grande, has broken ground, while another proposal near Mall West End has more recently entered the pipeline.Find a closer look at plans for the downtown property’s revitalization in the gallery above. …Follow us on social media: Twitter / Facebook/and now: Instagram • Downtown news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)