Original World of Coca-Cola site in Downtown Atlanta demolished, to become parking lot
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Goodbye, you enigma. Credit:Thomas Wheatley/Axios
The original World of Coca-Cola pavilion, the Downtown Atlanta tourist attraction where countless field trippers tried to mix up stomach-turning concoctions of soda brands from around the world, is no more.
Why it matters: The building — actually a collection of three 54-foot cubes, according to a 1990 AJC architectural review — had sat mostly vacant for nearly 20 years as a quirky afterthought before being demolished on Thursday afternoon with little fanfare surrounding it.
The latest: Gerald Pilgrim, the Georgia Building Authority chief of staff, told Axios on Friday that demolishing the World of Coca-Cola has been the state's long-term plan since it purchased the property.
- In the near term, the property will become surface parking for the Capitol and Georgia Freight Depot and "other Downtown needs," Pilgrim said.
- The property's existing parking lot will then become a staging area when construction begins on a nearly $400 million update to Georgia's Capitol Hill. The plan includes a new legislative office complex across the street.
Zoom in: Opened in 1990, the three-story $15 million museum near Underground Atlanta was one of the metro region's biggest draws.
- In addition to more than 100 years of memorabilia and artifacts from the homegrown company's history, the attraction had a replica of an old soda fountain counter and room where visitors could sample Coca-Cola products from around the world.
In 2002, the company announced it would relocate. Five years later, Coca-Cola opened the current museum in Centennial Olympic Park.
- The state later purchased the Downtown property, which was once considered for the NASCAR Hall of Fame, according to the AJC.
Fun fact: Downtown Atlanta is roughly 25% parking, according to a 2023 analysis.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with new information.