The $40 million sphere that almost came to Midtown during the Atlanta Olympics
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Screenshot: Courtesy of the AJC via newspapers.com
In the years running up to the 1996 Olympics, big dreamers pitched big ideas for Atlanta ranging from Maglev trains to a 720-foot-tall space needle tower with observation decks.
- Not all became a reality, but some are still worth revisiting and remembering.
- Take GeoNova, for example.
Details: Visioneering International, an Atlanta arts production company operated by husband and wife team Robert and Honora Foah, proposed a 135-foot sphere in the middle of Midtown wrapped with a giant projection screen displaying art, sporting events and performances.
- The interior called for three theaters focusing on local and regional culture and the environment.
- Plans also called for a children's museum, restaurant and a "New World Night Club" with a transparent dance floor at the top of the sphere.
Of note: GeoNova's proposed location in Midtown was never disclosed, though sites near 10th Street and 75/85 were reportedly considered.
Yes, but: In September 1995, Pepsi signed on to support the estimated $40 million project and secured the rights to advertise inside and show sponsorship messages outside the sphere.
- That deal — plus the sphere's proposed proximity to Coca-Cola's corporate headquarters — irked Coke and Olympics organizers hypersensitive to ambush marketing.
- Then-Mayor Bill Campbell promised to prohibit advertising on GeoNova's screen.
The bottom line: A month later, Robert Foah told the AJC that the company didn't expect the dome to be operational by the Olympics without more sponsors.
- And that's where the recorded history of the project ends.
What they're saying: The Foahs remain in Atlanta and continue producing works, including an opera series scheduled for an October debut in Rome.
- They politely declined Axios' interview request for this story.
💠Thomas' thought bubble: Yes, the giant sphere under construction in Las Vegas is pretty cool. But Atlanta can say we had the idea first.