Birth of Atlanta Monument
Architect/Construction Manager: Lord, Aeck and Sargent, Inc. (established Atlanta, 1942)

“Birth of Atlanta” commemorates the 1837 founding of Atlanta--or Marthasville as it was known at the time. Not far from the monument at the intersection of Central Avenue and Alabama Street, the “Zero Mile Post” marks where City Founders drove a stake into the ground to establish the center point of the circle of the one-mile radius that formed the original city limits. The monument consists of a steel frame with seven pairs of perforated metal “feathers and wings” in flight. Its design makes an abstract reference to the Phoenix, the Greek mythological bird that rose from the ashes that has become the symbol of Atlanta. The structure is located above Heritage Row in Underground Atlanta, a multimedia presentation on the history of Atlanta managed by the Atlanta History Center. The installation also contains texts interpreting the early years of the city.

MATERIALS: Anodized steel

DIMENSIONS: 32’ tall by 45’ long

CONSULTANTS:

LOCATION:
Heritage Row, Alabama Street and Central Avenue

COMMISSIONING ORGANIZATION:
Corporation for Olympic Development in Atlanta (CODA)
Installation: 1996