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Today's Rialto is the third theater by this name to operate at this location

A movie premiere at the original theater in 1940

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The original Rialto Theater opened at this location in 1916 as the Piedmont. The theater soon changed its name to the Rialto and operated until 1962 when it was demolished and replaced by a larger and more modern theater. That second Rialto operated until 1989 when declining traffic in the neighborhood, which was once the city's central business district, led to the theater's closure and the building's rapid decline. This theater was constructed in its place between 1994 and 1996 and is operated by Georgia State University, Rialto Center for the Arts. The theater offers an 833-seat theater that hosts touring shows, special arts series, and performances by the Georgia State University School of Music.

Rialto Center for the Arts

Explore this unique downtown Atlanta community by foot in the area west of Peachtree and north of Decatur, stopping by historical markers on the city's origin and its most famous drink. Buildings dating from the 1890s to the 1930s are highlighted stops.

<div>An iconic landmark located in the heart of downtown at &nbsp;Five-Points, the famed intersection of Edgewood Avenue, Decatur, and Peachtree Streets. The site of the Olympia building dates back to the founding of &nbsp;Atlanta. It was the location of the city's first post office and general store built and operated by Atlanta pioneer and first postmaster George Washington Collier in the mid-1840s. Collier built several buildings on the site. During the 1920s, the Collier Building was a popular shopping destination in Five-Points. However, the rise of the automobile witnessed a decline of the pedestrian-oriented downtown.&nbsp; </div><div> </div><div>During the depression era, Frank Hawkins, founder of the Third National Bank, invested in the old Collier Building. The new building was named Olympia after Hawkins investments in Olympia Beach, Florida. The architectural firm of Ivey and Crook, two graduates of Georgia Tech, designed the two-story Art Deco structure in the modern style. The building reflects a transition from the revival style to the international style with a facade of minimal detailing. The Olympia building was completed in 1936.</div><div> </div><div>The Woodruff Foundation gifted the Olympia Building to the State for the Centennial Olympic in 1996. Recently, it began a major restoration to preserve the historic 1936 facade in 2015. The Olympia Building will reopen as a vintage Walgreens in 2016.&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

Built by famous Atlanta architects Ivey and Crook in the midst of the Great Depression, this pie-shaped building is best known for its iconic Coca-Cola sign. The building was donated to the city of Atlanta to help support their effort in bringing the Olympics to Atlanta in 1996. It went under restoration after many years listed as an endangered historic landmark and reopened in 2016. The building now stands where Atlanta’s first post office and general store once stood.

Olympia Building

The first version of what became Coca-Cola was sold at Jacobs' Pharmacy in 1886. The drink was invented by John Pemberton, a former Confederate officer. After being wounded in battle, he became addicted to the painkiller morphine. In attempting to cure his addiction, he experimented with other narcotics, including cocaine, at a time when this was not a controlled substance. While cocaine may or may not have been included in the version of the cola sold here, kola nuts were a core ingredient, along with sugar and the significant amounts of caffeine the kola nuts contained. Today, kola nuts are not directly used in the production of the drink, but the caffeine and the sugar still post health problems if consumed in large quantities. The company also now offers versions of the cola without sugar and caffeine.Joseph Jacobs, the owner of Jacobs' Pharmacy, studied under Dr. Crawford W. Long, the doctor who discovered Ether's Value in surgery. Jacobs received a degree from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy in 1879. Despite the historical significance, the original building was demolished many years ago. The Coca-Cola company requested permission to erect this marker, to designate the importance of the location's history in 2016. Asa G. Candler signed on as an investor in one-third of the Coca-Cola brand in 1887 and later persuaded Pemberton to sell the formula for $2300. Candler sold the brand to a group of investors in 1919, a date that could be considered the start of the modern Coca-Cola company.

Jacobs' Pharmacy was the first establishment to serve the now famous beverage, Coca-Cola, on May 8, 1886. Jacobs' acquired the building in 1884 and sold his interest in Coca-Cola to Asa Candler, who later took control of the company from the drink's inventor, John Pemberton. The building has long since been demolished, but this historical marker, installed in 2016, represents the history of the pharmacy and its now-famous beverage. 

Jacobs' Pharmacy and Historical Marker for the First Coca-Cola Served

The 14-story, steel-framed Empire Building was likely named for the insurance company that funded its construction. The design for the Commercial style structure was by the architectural firm Morgan and Dillon, with vertical piers and horizontal spandrels echoing the steel cage construction. When it was finished in 1901, the brick-faced office building became the tallest building in Atlanta at 185 feet high, overtaking the Flatiron Buidling's 160 feet. The W.D. Grant Building, completed in 1898 and ten stories, was another steel-framed building in Atlanta, completed just three years before the neighboring Empire Building (across N. Broad Street from each other). The Empire lost its tallest in Atlanta status when the Fourth National Bank building was completed in 1905.One of the first tenants in the Empire Building after its 1901 completion was the National Weather Service. A number of real estate firms had offices in the building in the 1910s, including Turman, Black, &amp; Calhoun; Ben Graham Company, Greene Realty Company; Empire Trust &amp; Safe Deposit Company; and Cofield Investment Company. The 1911 Sanborn map depicts the banking space on the ground floor of the fireproof building at its southwest corner (by N. Broad and Marietta) with entrances to the east and north. There were ground-floor offices near the center of the N. Broad side of the building, with three store spaces to the north. An 80,000-gallon water tank or "fire cistern" stood in N. Broad to the west of the offices.In 1919, the building was acquired by the Atlanta Trust Company who renamed the building after their firm; they were previously located at 140 Peachtree St. The president of Atlanta Trust Company in 1922, Eugene R. Black, touted the company's four percent interest paid on all sums invested with them; their tag line was that if they could make a man save, it would help him to become independent.The first three floors of the building were redesigned by architect Philip Schutze of the firm Hentz, Adler, and Schutze in 1929 in the Second Renaissance Revival style. The structure became the headquarters of the new owners, Citizens and Southern National Bank. The large and luxurious, two-story banking hall with a liberal use of marble flooring and wainscoting, and the three-story base with arched entrances and rusticated stone trim were said to be loosely based on the Pantheon in Rome, Italy.In 1991, Citizens and Southern merged with North Carolina National Bank and became NationsBank. The former Empire Building continued to be the headquarters of NationsBank into the 2010s. NationsBank acquired BankAmerica Corporation and became Bank of America. The ground floor continues to hold a Bank of America Financial Center ("Marietta Street") and walk-up ATM. Bank of America's corporate headquarters are in Charlotte, North Carolina. The upper floors contain the J. Mack Robinson College of Business Administration, the business school of Georgia State University. The former Empire Building (35 Broad St. NW) is one of two downtown locations for the business school, along with 55 Park Place NE. Undergraduate and Master's degree programs are offered.

The high-rise building northeast of the intersection of N. Broad St. and Marietta St. NW was once the tallest building in Atlanta. Constructed as the Empire Building from 1900 to 1901, the office building was one of the city's first steel-framed buildings. From 1919 to 1929, the building was called the Atlanta Trust Building. New owners in 1929 redesigned the first three floors to become the headquarters for Citizens &amp; Southern National Bank (later NationsBank, then Bank of America). In 1972, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places' it became an Atlanta Landmark Building in 1992. The structure became the home of the Georgia State University School of Business in the 2010s; a Bank of America location still occupies the first floor. The building appeared in the 2016 film The Founder, starring Michael Keaton as McDonald's CEO Ray Kroc.

Empire Building (Citizens & Southern National Bank)

The W.D. Grant Building was completed in 1898 and stands as the earliest example of the Chicago-School inspired cage-steel-frame construction in Atlanta. The building was also the first to occupy a full city block. The U-shaped plan also allowed for more window offices than the typical square buildings. The building symbolizes a decade of commercial construction that changed the character of the area from an architectural standpoint and demonstrated the commercial growth taking place in Atlanta. From the destruction of the city by Union forces in 1864, Atlanta grew to roughly 200,000 residents by 1920.Before the completion of the Grant Building, this land was home to an Episcopal church that was destroyed by the fires lit by General Sherman's troops when they captured the city in 1864. A two-story commercial structure arose on the property after the fire, which the Grant Building replaced. The Grant Building was constructed in a decade that saw the construction of numerous multi-story structures. These buildings replaced smaller offices as well as private homes and churches that had previously dotted the downtown area. This period also saw the downtown spread north of the older business district that was centered in what is now the south downtown neighborhoods of Atlanta. By the turn of the century, Atlanta enjoyed a genuine metropolitan appearance and functioned as a legitimate commercial center. Despite ties to modern architecture, the building's namesake also reflects nineteenth-century Southern U.S. history. W.D. Grant II was born in the late 1830s, the son of a prominent North Georgian, John T. Grant, who owned a plantation. John Grant's fortune came as a result of his work as an engineer and businessman after he founded a successful company that was involved in the construction of railroad lines. W.D. Grant studied law in school before joining the Confederate Army like his father. John where he attained the rank of colonel while his son W. D. became a captain. Thanks to generational wealth and connections, W.D. Grant established a business in Atlanta and became one of the city's first millionaires. Due to his role in contracts and finance, W. D. Grant attained a fortune that could have been as much as $6 million by the 1880s. Grant's prominence allowed him to hold the office of Exposition Vice President during the Atlanta Exposition of 1895. Grant's early wealth also allowed him to invest heavily in the city and finance several ambitious construction projects. Among these was the completion of the W.D. Grant Building, opening its doors three years before Grant died in 1901. The Prudential Life Insurance Company provided a loan to Grant to help finance the building leading to the building being known by the name of that company until 1910. The company occupied part of the building for its first few years. After the company moved locations, the building became known as the W.D. Grant Building in honor of the late Atlanta businessman. Today, the building stands as a reminder of those who rebuilt the city in the decades that followed the Civil War, and as a harbinger of a downtown marked by skyscrapers and commercial activity.

Completed in 1898, the W.D. Grant Building is one of the oldest steel buildings in Atlanta, representing a period of growth and change for the city following a period of slow recovery from the destruction of the Civil War. In the final decades of the 19th century, Atlanta grew into a metropolitan center with the core of commercial growth clustering around the first skyscrapers such as the W.D. Grant Building. Known originally as the Prudential Building, this structure was soon joined by other skyscrapers at the turn of the century. 

W.D. Grant Building

The English-American Building, also known as the Georgia Savings Bank Building and Flatiron Building, stood as Atlanta's second-ever skyscraper. The first skyscraper in the city was built by the Equitable Trust Company and was later demolished, leaving the English-American as the oldest remaining skyscraper in Atlanta. The English-American name comes from its original tenant, the English-American Loan &amp; Trust Building, whose officers included Rufus B. Bullock, who once served as a Georgia governor during Reconstruction. The state forced him out in 1876 for trying to enforce political rights and protection for African Americans. The English-American Loan and Trust Company built the skyscraper. Bradford Gilbert of New York City, a well-known and lauded nineteenth-century architect, designed the flatiron skyscraper in 1897. Eight years earlier, he designed New York City's first steel frame building, the Tower Building. By 1895, Gilbert maintained an office in Atlanta while acting as the supervising architect of the Cotton States and International Exposition. Also, while the New York City Flatiron building -- designed by the famed D.H. Burnham &amp; Company, enjoys considerable notoriety, the English-American flatiron-designed skyscraper emerged nearly four years before its New York City counterpart. Rufus B. Bullock served as president of the English-American Loan &amp; Trust Company, which points to the second chapter of his life in Atlanta, one for which he enjoyed success in the private business sector. The first chapter for Bullock, a northern-born businessman who had cooperated with the Confederacy, involved his stint as a Republican Governor (1868 - 71) during the Reconstruction, one that ended with his removal after enjoying the reputation as the "most hated man in the state." He ostensibly attempted to provide African-Americans with an abundance of rights; the Ku Klux Klan led a movement to force him out of office. But, he did recover well and not only worked for the trust company but served as president of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and master of ceremonies at the Atlanta Cotton States and International Exposition in 1895. The English-American Building name lasted until 1910 when the building became known as the Empire Life Building. The name changed again in 1916 when the structure was known as the Flatiron Building. In 1920, the Georgia Savings Bank and Trust Company purchased the building and remained its owner for nearly half of a decade, and then it changed hands again, which has been its ultimate story over time. Today, the building is known as Flatiron City and is the home to numerous businesses -- many of which are associated with technology. Thus, by looking at the history of Atlanta's flatiron building, one can view several chapters of the city's history, from Reconstruction to the 21st Century.

Completed in 1897, Atlanta's Flatiron Building was designed by New York architect Bradford Gilbert. Gilbert was a former student of renowned architect Daniel Burnham, who designed New York's Flat Iron Building, which shared the unique wedge-shaped design and was constructed five years later. Atlanta's Flatiron Building was the second skyscraper built in Atlanta and stands as the oldest standing steel-framed skyscraper in the city.  Rufus Brown Bullock was one of the principal figures involved in the English-American Trust & Loan Company and had previously served as Georgia governor during the Reconstruction Era and sought better economic and political rights for African Americans. The KKK and other groups helped push him out of the state because he supported Reconstruction, but he returned years later and became a successful Atlanta businessman. 

The Flatiron Building (English-American Building) 

The 1914-built Healey Building stands as the final skyscraper from the Atlanta firm of Morgan and Dillon before the first World War. However, evidence points to the fact that W. T. Downing, a renowned Atlanta architect who served as an associated architect on the project, likely designed the building. The design also initially intended for there to be a second, twin tower.World War I and the death of builder, William T. Healey, in 1920 prevented the twin-tower design from coming to fruition. The two towers were to be joined by a low, connecting element containing a top-lighted rotunda. In place of a second tower stands a row of small structures intended for commercial and retail use. The Healy tower comprises of clustered piers that rise throughout the building's sixteen-story high exterior and provide the structure with its striking verticality. Meanwhile, the New-Gothic style gives the building lightness and clean lines, both on the interior and exterior. The financier of the building, Thomas G. Healey, started his working life in the brick-making business, before transitioning to a builder and contractor. He took those lessons and used it to make his fortune as a real estate developer. But, he also delved into the banking industry and proved to be a successful street railway entrepreneur. Lastly, he served as a city politician. His son, William, worked beside his father for many years before finally taking over the family business. William ultimately served as the builder of the Healy building before his death a few years after the completion of the tower. The building remained in the Healey family until 1972. A 1988 renovation followed by another one in 2001 included the conversion of the upper 14 floors to condominiums while the lower two stories serve galleries, professional offices, shops, and restaurants.

The sixteen-story Gothic Revival Healey Building opened its doors in 1914 and stands today as the last major skyscraper built in Atlanta during the pre-World War I construction boom. The second tower that was to connect to the first tower never came to fruition, mostly due to World War I. 

Healey Building

The structure was designed by Chattanooga architect Reuben Harrison Hunt in November 1907 as the headquarters of the newly-founded Baptist Tabernacle. Ground breaking ceremonies were held on August 17, 1909 but construction was not completed until the summer of 1911. The first services in the new building were held on September 3, 1911. Between September 10 and 17, approximately 8,000 individuals gathered in the church as a part of an extended dedication ceremony. Membership in the church reached record heights&nbsp;in the 1950s with regular membership at numbering over&nbsp;3000 individuals. However, attendance at the church steadily declined in the following decades.&nbsp;&nbsp; The building was owned and operated by the Baptist Tabernacle, beset with&nbsp;financial troubles, until October 1994 when the property was sold to a group of investors hoping to redevelop the property in time for the 1996 Olympics.&nbsp; For additional information please see&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.tabernacleatl.com/VenueInfo">http://www.tabernacleatl.com/VenueInfo</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tabernacle">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tabernacle</a>

Originally built by the Third Baptist Church and opened in 1911 as the Baptist Tabernacle and Institute Building, today the "Tabby" is used primarily as a performance venue. The structure is located in downtown Atlanta at 152 Luckie Street, seats approximately 2600 individuals, and is managed by Live Nation Entertainment. 

The Tabernacle

The Glenn Building was named for John Thomas Glenn (1844-1899), an Atlanta attorney and its mayor from January 1889 to January 1891. Glenn died suddenly in March 1899, leaving a wife and four children. The city's courts and public schools were closed at one o'clock on the day of his funeral so that people could attend. Glenn was buried in Atlanta's Oakland Cemetery. His widow, Helen A. Garrard Glenn, passed away in 1924 at age 74. Funds from his estate were part of the financial backing for the Glenn Building, completed a months before Mrs. Glenn's death.Architect J. Waddy Wood designed the Classical Revival style office building. Excavation for the basement level began in March 1923 and the building was completed in December. The ten-story, L-shaped building was clad in smooth-cut brown limestone on the two main facades and brick on the other two sides. There are seven structural bays along the 90 ft. facing Marietta St. (north side of building) and six along the 130 ft. facing Spring St. (east). The main floor featured shops on the ground and mezzanine levels. Neoclassical polychrome panels decorate the spaces above the third and eighth floors. The heavy slab cornice features lion heads peeking out from the attic level above the tenth-floor windows.Palmer Inc., a real estate firm headed by Charles Forrest Palmer (1892-1973), purchased the Glenn in 1925. Palmer Inc. specialized in owning and managing downtown commercial properties. There were dozens of tenants in 1929. Along the main streetside were C.D. Harris Soda Company (120 Marietta), I.T. Cowan Barber Shop (122), Western Union (124), and A. Nash &amp; Co. Tailors (126). The Candler family of Coca-Cola fame bought the Glenn in 1933. Five floors contained the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1940.Vacant for many years, the interior was considered unusable by current standards, and the building was considered for demolition. In 1986, Easements Atlanta purchased an historic facades easement on the Glenn, saving it. The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta purchased the Glenn Building in 1987 as a way to expand its Marietta Street facility but later changed its mind and moved to Midtown. The building was bought by the City of Atlanta and Fulton County Recreation Department in 1997.The Glenn Building was placed on a local list of Atlanta's ten biggest eyesores in 2003. Legacy Property Group of Atlanta purchased the Glenn Building for $2.8 million in 2003. After extensive renovations by Legacy Property Group costing $2.2 million, not much of the Glenn's interior remained, but the exterior was preserved. The building was reborn in 2006 as the Glenn Hotel, a boutique hotel, as part of Marriott International's Autograph Collection. In 2008, the Glenn Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places for its importance in local architecture and commerce.

The ten-story building at 110 Marietta St. NW was designed as an office building in the western part of downtown Atlanta. Completed in December 1923, the Glenn Building was named for the late John Thomas Glenn, the Mayor of Atlanta from 1889 to 1891. The two street sides are faced in brown limestone while the two other facades are brick. Terra cotta lion heads peek out from the attic level. The long-vacant Glenn Building became a boutique hotel (The Glenn Hotel) in 2006 after extensive renovations, as part of Marriott International's Autograph Collection. In 2008, the Glenn Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places for its Neoclassical Revival architecture and its relation to the history of downtown Atlanta commerce.

Glenn Building (The Glenn Hotel)

This historical marker locates the spot where Atlanta began. In 1839 a man named "Cousin John" Thrasher founded a settlement he called Thrasherville, from which the city would arise. He established Thrasherville to house the workers he hired to build a railroad embankment that would link two railroads, the Monroe Railroad and the Western Atlantic Railroad. The settlement was located near the planned terminus of the W.A. Railroad. Construction took two years, long enough for the settlement to become permanent. Here were Atlanta's many firsts, including the first store, religious service, labor unrest, social event, and baby. The settlement had a few unofficial names but was finally officially called Marthasville in 1843 before being reincorporated as Atlanta in 1845.

Fairlie-Poplar Historic District Walking Tour

Rialto Center for the Arts

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