Atlantic Station-Atlanta Steel Company, History of Urban Form

02 | History of Urban Form | Atlantic Station

ATLANTIC STATION Atlantic Station | History of Urban Form | 03

04 | History of Urban Form | Atlantic Station

ATLANTIC STEEL COMPANY

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Image Courtesy of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Atlantic Station (The Present)

Atlantic Station is a 138 acres mixed-use neighborhood

and includes student housing and apartments along

located to the northwest of midtown Atlanta. It is a

with a huge Ikea store.

significant Brownfield redevelopment project that was opened in 2005. Today, it houses a diverse range

The project when launched in 2005 was appreciated

of programs ranging from housing, commercial, retail,

for being a diverse, walkable outdoor gathering space.

and entertainment. It has a unique timeline of historical

A new type of an inside-out mall built from scratch and

events and urban form that has evolved over the years.

attracted a good amount of density. But, it was affected

It is situated on a site that served as a steel company

due to the recession. In 2015, Houston-based Hines

and mill in the past.

bought it and planned for expansion.

Atlantic Station is a neighborhood developed on the

Role of EPA

concept of live-work. It was conceptualized with an

Jacoby

idea of a city within a city. With an intriguing past,

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the state of

the site housed a steel mill that was significant in

Georgia and various stakeholders to develop the site.

the then locomotive and textile driven Atlanta. This

The EPA certified the property as safe for construction

Brownfield redevelopment project was successful as

in 2001 after years of environmental cleanup. This

it was a collaboration of different stakeholders: City of

project is recognized as nation’s largest remediation of

Atlanta Planning Department, Georgia Department of

a brownfield which was heavily contaminated due to

Transortation, Atlanta Regional Commission, Georgia

the steel mill. The work was carried under the National

Tech, and other organizations.

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The cleanup of

Development

worked

intensively

with

Atlantic Station costed $3billion and included removal The project is designed with three different areas

of 165,000 tons of soil from the site. To improve the

called The District, The Commons and The Village. The

connectivity, 17th Street bridge was constructed over

District is like the downtown of Atlantic Station with

Interstate 75/85 and a three level parking structure near

a focus on retail, commercial and entertainment. It

the commercial core. The construction of sewers and

has been designed with pseudo heritage facades and

utility costed around $250 million (Source EPA)

details along a central event space. The Commons is the residential center and includes a lake and greens in the center. The Village is the western part of the project

Project location 06 | History of Urban Form | Atlantic Station

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Timeline

Overview of the three parts within Atlantic Station Source: https://scholarblogs.emory.edu/

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Urban Framework and connections: Downtown Connector and the making of 17th Street 10 | History of Urban Form | Atlantic Station

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The plan (below) marks varied points documented

A

inorder to understand the change in the character of street edge. Inspied by Gordon Cullen’s Serial Vision Mapping.

Observations

16th Street NW B

- The street widths and the number of lanes increases towards the highway connector on the 17th Street from the Millenium Gate Musuem.

- It is interesting to note that the Commons acts as a park and is not bounded by a gate, open to all (although predominantly used by the residents).

- The 17th street next to the commons has been

Intersection between 16th Street NW and 18th Street NW

designed as an avenue and has a high footfall of people walking and biking.

C

- From points A to G the walking experience is comfortable, from the Millenium Gate (point F), the cars take over and the number of lanes increases.

- The 17th street coverges first at the Millenium Gate Museum and then goes on to connect the northern part of Midtown.

The Millenium Gate Museum and the landscape strips around have been designed to create a monumental axis but in reality, due to the cars it is undervalued.

17th Street NW towards the Commons D

The Commons and 17th Street NW E

17th Street NW

Serial vision mapping of the street edge to understand the user experience 12 | History of Urban Form | Atlantic Station

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F

G

Towards the Commons, The Millenium Gate Museum and the residences around.

H

The Smokestack from the past (Atlantic Steel Mill) and the T3 mass timber building.

J

Transition of 17th Street from a people oriented to a car dominant street, surrounded by high-rises (residential and commercial)

I

Highway on the extreme end of 17th St NW, connecting Atlantic Station to the northern part of Midtown.

K

Parking Garage near the commercial high rises

Mapping the landmarks

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L

Topographical rise on the Market St NW towards the Atlantic Station

L

Junction with each side of the road having 4 lanes

Towards the townhomes on the southern side connecting 14th St and 17th St

Car focussed junctions

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The streets in the District have a reduced car flow

Art Deco and early European architecture. Brick and

as compared to the 17th Street NW. The District is

stone cladding is seen with prominent arches, cornices

lined up with retail and restaurants on the ground

and parapets.

level with wider sidewalks, on street parking and one

This project is recognized by EPA in reducing the Vehicle

way vehicular roads. The building heights are low in

Miles traveled by thirty-four percent and a reduction in

comparison to the office buildings. The architectural

car emissions by 45 percent.

style of the buildings in the district are adapted from

Retail, sidewalk and on-street parking

Parking connectors on each block

Building facades designed to resemble heritage architecture with vintage details (material cladding, cornice, parapet )

Internal streets with retail as boundary

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Panoramic View

Central Plaza surrounded by retail and food joints

Event Space

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Atlantic Steel Company (The Past)

Atlantic Steel Company was a significant steel mill at

2021: Google Earth, shows the Atlantic Station with a

the site of Atlantic Station and was the first steel mill

modified topography and highrise commercial and

in Georgia. It was founded as Atlanta Hoop Company

residential buildings, the Interstate Highways 75 and 85.

in 1901, which produced cotton bale ties and barrel hoops. It was renamed as the Atlantic Steel Company

History through the years

in 1915. It served the needs of the South and produced

In 1864, Atlanta was in a state of turmoil due to the

nails, barbed wire, galvanized steel. It produced

Battle of Atlanta. Residents left the city; many casualties

approximately 750,000 tons of steel during its time in

were reported and businesses were disrupted. This

the fifties. In 1979, it was acquired by Ivaco Inc. Due to

took a heavy toll on the population. After 1865, Atlanta

a higher competition the operations were reducing and

was rebuilding and recovering from huge industrial

it had stopped by late nineties. Jacoby Development

and social loss. The city is at the intersection of three

Inc started a partnership with AIG Global Real Estate

of the region’s significant railroad lines and boosted

Corporation to plan a redevelopment scheme for the

confidence in its rebuilding.

property.

There was a shift of capital from Milledgeville to Atlanta in 1868, which led to economic and political boom.

The Site

By late 1870s Atlanta became the fourth-largest port

The three maps on the right depict topographical

for cotton in the Southeast. It was ranked among the

transformations at different phases, and Georgia

fifty largest cities in the United States by late 1880s and

Tech has been marked as a reference point inorder to

hosted international expositions focusing on textiles.

understand the city’s growth towards the upper side of

This led to the coming in of huge mills and factories

midtown.

including Atlantic Steel Company, Ford Motor, Fulton

1840: map by Library of Congress, shows the site as

Bag and Cotton Mill, E. Van Winkle Gin and Machine

a hillock and with just one road connecting it and

Works. Georgia Institute of Technology was founded in

undeveloped land with a creek flowing next to the site.

1885 played a crucial role in the city’s growth.

Atlanta Steel Company played a vital role in World War

1919: map by Library of Congress, shows the

I, helped in producing steel which helped the Allies win

development in Atlanta upto Georgia Tech and

the war.

midtown. Development of rail and road networks and the functioning of the mill.

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Topographical Transformation Atlantic Station | History of Urban Form | 19

1954 map (right-side) shows the development of the Steel Mill, Downtown connector, 17th street and defined plots and modified topography.

1890 map (below) shows the urban form of the city.

Downtown Atlanta was the cradle of development and density. The sites such as mills and factories were planned far-off the city centers and close to the railway lines.

1890 USGS Topographical Map 20 | History of Urban Form | Atlantic Station

1954 USGS Topographical Map Atlantic Station | History of Urban Form | 21

The Sanborn Map Fire Insuarance Map of Atlantic Steel, 1911 The Sanborn Fire Map shows the creek, the railway lines and various departments within the Steel Company. The map shows the access to water mains, sprinkler system, location of openings and colors show the type of materials of the structures.

For example: Pink-Brick structure, Yellow- framed structure. Gray- iron.

The Sanborn maps were designed to aid fire insurance agents in assessing the degree of hazard with respect to the site.

Sanborn’s Fire Map, Source: University of Georgia

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Findings

The history and role of Atlantic Steel Company, demonstrates the connections to the locomotive driven city. The steel company was influential in facilitating the industrial development in the South. In the hundred years of the mill’s functioning, it went through highs and lows and had to shut down.

Redeveloping the brownfield which was heavily contaminated, to a site which is vibrant and caters to a mixed use is praise-worthy. In the times of suburban living, this live-work neighborhood has achieved the goal of a reduced vehicle miles travelled daily. The project seems fruitful as it involved varied stakeholders and

community

participation

in

rezoning

and

remediating the site.

My observations while visiting Atlantic Station were derived from the experiential quality of the present site, the street boundaries, the people and understanding the 17th Street.

Studying

various

maps

and

google

earth

transformations,helped me understand the way the site has evolved with time and its past foundations.

2020 map(left-side) shows the present situation of the

I am grateful to Professor Dagenhart for giving me a

city. The red is the downtown connector that passes

narrative to look forward to. This has motivated me to

through the city.

find more stories that have transformed this city.

2020 USGS Topographical Map 24 | History of Urban Form | Atlantic Station

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Resources

Articles/ Websites: 1.

Solving

Environmental

Maps: Problems

through

a

1. Old Maps Online

collaboaration, Atlantic Steel Redevelopment, EPA

2. Sanborn’s Fire Map 1911

2. Atlantic Station: Going Forward, Atlanta Architecture,

3. USGS (NGMDB.USGS.GOV)

Scholar Blogs, Emory, 2016

4. Bird’s eye view of Atlanta, Fulton Co., State Capital,

3. How realistic is the new developer’s hopes of an

Library of Congress

“Evolution”?, What now Atlanta, 2011 4. Atlantic Steel- Wikipedia 5. Atlantic Station- Wikipedia 6. Atlantic Steel Company Records, Kenan Research

Photographs:

Center, Atlanta History Center 7. Atlantic Station (Atlantic Steel Site Redevelopment),

1. Archival image- New Georgia Encyclopedia

Protect NEPA,2018

2. Archival cover image- US EPA

8. Battle of Atlanta, The Atlanta Journal Constitution and

3. Atlantic Station photographs- Author- Sakshi Nanda

Atlanta History Center 9. Building a city within the city of Atlanta, NY times, 2006 10. Georgia Tech Archives,Bob Gregg 11. Digital Library of Georgia 12. Atlantic Station, Western Pennsylvania, Brownfield Center, CMU 13. Atlantic Station shopping a retail rush for city, Atlanta Business Chronicle, 2006 14. List of former Atlanta street names, Wikipedia 15. Atlantic Station website 16. Industrial Atlanta, National Park Service Atlanta 17. Atlanta Journal Constitution Archives

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