Centennial Olympic Park is one of the most successful, if not, the most successful renovation projects to ever hit the crowded run down parts of Atlanta. Only twenty years ago, the area where centennial park now exists was a very low class neighborhood with many bad happenings. It wasn't very attractive to any of the tourists or any of the businessmen that went to work in the tall buildings less than a mile away that overlooked this area. "That all began to change on the day Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games CEO Billy Payne gazed out his office window and a brilliant inspiration came to him - to convert a multi-block eyesore into a glorious gathering spot for visitors and residents to enjoy during the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games and for years to come."
Next thing you know, the construction has started and everyone is excited to renew this area to a more family friendly neighborhood with a lot of green space to make it suitable to all of those immigrating for the summer Olympic Games. The estimated $75 million in development costs came entirely from private-sector donations - contributions in the form of commemorative bricks, funds raised by the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and local philanthropic foundation grants.
Just walking through the park, you will notice most of the bricks laid out on the floor each have names on them. It is very surprising to see all of the support they received in the form of donations and the purchase of their names on the bricks. Approximately 800,000 bricks were used in the construction of the 21-acre Park. Laid end-to-end, lengthwise, the bricks would stretch from New York City to Philadelphia, approximately 100 miles. Laid sideways, the bricks would stretch for 50 miles.
"History of the Park." Welcome to Centennial Olympic Park. Web. 15 Nov. 2009.
No comments:
Post a Comment