Remember to Look Up

Remember to look up once and a while. You might be surprised at what you see.

The Fox Theatre & Bank of America Plaza

I really like this photo. I'd been at this vantage point a bazillion times before, but never noticed how these two structures fit together like a puzzle, while showing the incredibly wide range of architecture in Atlanta. 

And I only would have noticed it at the exact point where I happened to look up. Remember the Swan House photo I made this summer when the moon was uncovered for just a moment? Again, this was superbly serendipitous.

Just for the record, this is The Fox Theatre (left) and the Bank of America Plaza (right). The Fox is Moorish in design and opened in 1939 and the Bank of America Plaza, Atlanta's tallest building (and the tallest in the Southeast as well as the tallest building in any state capital), is of postmodern design and opened in 1992. Quite a difference to fit together so well, right?

Remember to stop by the wanderlust ATLANTA Facebook Page for more tourist information and lots more photos!

Fox Theatre's Terrace...A Little Known Treasure

The Terrace at the Fox Theatre,
Bank of America Plaza in background

If you've been to a performance at the Fox Theatre, you probably didn't see one of the Theatre's most unique vistas. If you've been to a special event in the Egyptian Ballroom at the Fox, it's possible you still didn't see it, but if you have visited the Grand Salon, either for an event or on a behind-the-scenes tour, then you've probably seen the grandness of The Terrace.

I remember the Terrace when it was merely a roof. I'd heard rumors of creating a rooftop event space, which was finally done following the 1996 fire...a fire that caused $2 million in damages, but might have caused more had Fox resident Joe Patten not been at home. Patten is the former Technical Director who was granted a lifetime lease in an apartment inside the Fox Theatre.

Fortunately, the damage caused to the Grand Salon was corrected and the Terrace is as gorgeous as one would expect at the Fox Theatre. 

The Terrace is modest in size. You can fit quite a few cabaret tables out there and there are some built in benches for seating, but the walls are high, so you don't really get a "skyline" view. But what you do get a view of is far more than a tease...it's fantastic!

The Terrace at the Fox Theatre

From the northeast corner of the Terrace, you can see the "onion" tower on the North Avenue side of the Fox, and you can see two condominium buildings, one modern, but older and one that's architecturally stunning.

Also, you can see the towering Bank of America Plaza--the tallest skyscraper in Atlanta, which is quite remarkable when lit at night! And best seen from the southeast corner, you can see the upper floors of the Georgian Terrace Hotel, where Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable resided while filming "Gone With the Wind." 

All in all, the Terrace at the Fox is a stunning space. I highly recommend spending a few minutes on it taking in the unique opportunity to explore it...should the opportunity arise.

Be sure to head over to the wanderlust ATLANTA Facebook Page and check out the other information and photos there. And thank you for stopping here.

The Terrace at the Fox Theatre

ATLANTApix: Bank of America Plaza

Bank of America Plaza

The Bank of America Plaza is the tallest building in Atlanta at 1,023 feet, but has only 55 stories of office space. Its top blazes golden at night, a tell-tale sign of its 23-karat gold-leafed open-air pyramid, topped with an obelisk. 

For the longest time, following its completion in 1992, I wasn't sure when they were going to finish the top. I had not seen what is now the signature open-air design of the top, which sits on a pillar of dark red granite. 

The building still today serves as a point of demarcation between Midtown and Downtown Atlanta.

ATLANTApix of the tourATLANTA blog features a "photo-of-the-day" of Atlanta. Come back tomorrow for a new one!