The City of Glass

When I first moved back to Atlanta almost three years ago, I immediately started calling it "The City of Glass"...practically every building that had been erected during my nine years away was clad in glass. Glass of varying color and shape, but glass nonetheless. Fortunately for me, I really like glass buildings.

Atlanta Skyline (looking North)

Well, after exploring a while longer, I realized that the range of building materials used went considerably beyond glass. And then again, I come across a skyline view like this one, from the rooftop of a friend's downtown building, where every building in sight is glass. 

You should see this view when it's reflecting one of our colorful sunsets...and we have a lot of those!

With developers building again, I'm quite curious to see what the next phase of Atlanta architecture will pepper our skyline. Hopefully, glass or otherwise, they're forging a number of beyond unique signature buildings!

ATLANTApix: Coastal States Building

Coastal States Building

Quick to prove that Atlanta's designation as a "city of glass" is not at all new, the Coastal States Building, sometimes called the Coastal States Insurance Building, brings attention to the fact that it was in actually erected in 1971...40 years ago!

I myself have been guilty of saying that Atlanta has become a city of glass as of recent years, but the more I explore, the more I realize that glass buildings have been a significant part of the Atlanta skyline for many, many years. Maybe the development spurt of the 70s, with all the cement buildings of that decade, skewed my perception...or I was too busy noticing all the new buildings and not the ones I've known for years.

Centennial Tower is a prime example. A building that just by looking at it you would think was a relatively recent addition to the city. Not quite. It was constructed in 1975. And the world-famous Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel, the 73-story glass cylinder...it was built in 1973. 

So, as it turns out, I was totally off in my assumption. I should have said that "even more stunning stems have been added to the city-of-glass bouquet that we know as Atlanta."

ATLANTApix and ATLANTAvidz of the tourATLANTA blog features a daily photo or video relative to Atlanta. Come back tomorrow for a new one!