View source for Underground Atlanta

{{Short description|Place in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.}}
{{about|the shopping and entertainment district|the mass transit system in Atlanta| Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority|the hip hop compilation album|Underground Atlanta (album)}}
{{Use American English|date=August 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Infobox shopping mall 
| name               = Underground Atlanta
| native_name        = 
| native_name_lang   = 
| logo               = Underground Atlanta Logo.png
| logo_width         = 133
| image              = Atlanta Underground.jpg
| image_width        = 
| caption            = Entrance to Underground Atlanta, near the corner of Peachtree and Wall
| location           = 
| coordinates        = {{coord|33.75274|-84.39008|region:US_type:landmark|display=inline;title}}
| address            = 
| opening_date       = {{flatlist|
*{{start date|1969|04|08}} as entertainment district
*{{dts|1989|06|15}} as shopping mall}}
| closing_date       = {{flatlist|
*1980 (entertainment district)
*2017 (lower level)}}
| developer          = 
| manager            = 
| owner              = Billionaires Funding Group
| architect          = 
| number_of_stores   = 
| number_of_anchors  = 
| floor_area         = 
| floors             = 
| parking            = 
| publictransit      = [[Five Points (MARTA station)|Five Points MARTA station]]
| website            = {{URL|https://www.undergroundatl.com/|undergroundatl.com}}
| footnotes          = 
| embedded           = 
{{Infobox NRHP
| name                 = Underground Atlanta Historic District
| nrhp_type            = Historic District
| image                = 
| alt                  = 
| caption              = 
| locmapin             = 
| map_label            =
| map_alt              = 
| map_caption          = 
| coordinates          = 
| location             = 
| built                = 
| architect            = 
| architecture         = 
| added                = July 24, 1980
| designated_nrhp_type = 
| visitation_num       = 
| visitation_year      = 
| refnum               = 80001077
| website              = <!-- {{URL|www.example.com}} -->
| embed                = yes
}}
}}
'''Underground Atlanta''' is a [[shopping center|shopping]] and [[entertainment]] district in the [[Five Points, Atlanta|Five Points neighborhood]] of [[Downtown Atlanta|downtown]] [[Atlanta, Georgia]], United States, near the [[Five Points (MARTA station)|Five Points MARTA station]]. It is currently undergoing renovations. First opened in 1969, it takes advantage of the [[viaduct]]s built over the city's many railroad tracks to accommodate later automobile traffic.

==Geography and location==
{{OSM Location map
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  |shape-color1=#f00
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 |mark-coord1 ={{Coord|33.755159|-84.392206}}
 |mark-title1 =[[Atlanta Union Station (1930)]]
 |mark-coord2 ={{Coord|33.754273|-84.392896}}
 |mark-title2 =''[[Atlanta Constitution]]'' building (abandoned)
 |mark-coord3 ={{Coord|33.753843|-84.391545}}
 |mark-title3 =[[Five Points station]] |shape-color3=#00f
 |mark-coord4 ={{Coord|33.753152|-84.390376}} |shape-color4=#0a0
 |mark-title4 =Peachtree Fountains Plaza
 |mark-coord5 ={{Coord|33.752527|-84.390166}}
 |mark-title5 =&quot;Twin Bridges&quot; Viaduct (at Alabama & Pryor)
 |mark-coord6 ={{Coord|33.751292|-84.389051}}
 |mark-title6 =Steve Polk Plaza |shape-color6=#0a0
 |mark-coord7 ={{Coord|33.751484|-84.388278}}
 |mark-title7 =[[Georgia Railroad Freight Depot]]
 |mark-coord8 ={{Coord|33.749035|-84.388139}}
 |mark-title8 =[[Georgia State Capitol]]
 |fullscreen-option=1
 |caption=Selected locations near Underground Atlanta&nbsp;<small>{{flatlist|
* {{color box|#f00|Points of interest|#fff|border=silver}}
* {{color box|#0a0|Parks and open spaces|#fff|border=silver}}
* {{color box|#00f|Transit|border=silver}} }}</small>
 |auto-caption=1
}}
'''Underground Atlanta''' is centered on the historical [[The Gulch (Atlanta)#History|railroad gulch]], which follows the railroad tracks approximately northwest to southeast, parallel to Alabama Street, between Forsyth Street and Central Avenue. In the 1979 nomination form to establish the '''Underground Atlanta Historic District''' for listing on the [[National Register of Historic Places]], the cited area is bounded by the modern-day Alabama Street, Central Avenue, Peachtree Street (formerly Whitehall), and Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive; a handwritten note extends it to a four-block area bounded by Wall St SW (on the northeast), Central Ave SW (on the southeast), Martin Luther King Jr. Dr SW (on the southwest) and Peachtree St (on the northwest).<ref name=NRHP>{{cite report |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/b91c0b1f-3826-492d-abd0-010c69b7edb8/ |title=Underground Atlanta Historic District |author1=Crimmins, Timothy |author2=Clouse, Richard |date=April 1979 |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=October 31, 2019}}</ref>

* The north block (Block 1 of the 2017 redevelopment project) is occupied by Peachtree Fountains Plaza and has an area of {{convert|1.9|acre}}, bounded by Peachtree, Alabama, Pryor, and Wall.<ref name=UB-blk1/>
* The east block (Block 2 of the 2017 redevelopment project) is bounded by Pryor, Alabama, Central, and Wall.<ref name=UB-blk1/>
* The south block (Block 3 of the 2017 redevelopment project) is bounded by Pryor, Alabama, Central, and MLK.<ref name=UB-blk1/>
* The west block (Block 4 of the 2017 redevelopment project, although Block 4 properly refers to the eastern half of this block) is bounded by Peachtree, Alabama, Pryor, and MLK.<ref name=UB-blk1>{{cite web |url=http://www.undergroundblockone.com/ |title=Block One |website=Underground Block One |access-date=November 1, 2019 |archive-date=November 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191101173029/http://www.undergroundblockone.com/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The four-block site is bisected by Pryor St SW (running from the northeast to the southwest side) and Alabama St (running northwest to southeast). Pryor and Alabama each have two levels; each level has two main halls, which are called Upper and Lower Alabama and Pryor Streets.

==History==
[[File:Atlanta-Underground Gas lamp.jpg|thumb|upright|This historic gas lamp, located in the Underground, was one of 50 erected by the Atlanta Gas Light Company in 1856. It was shelled by Union artillery prior to the Battle of Atlanta of the American Civil War. There are two bronze plaques mounted on it which commemorate Solomon (Sam) Luckie, one of 40 free blacks who died from the wounds that he received from the shell that struck the lamp. Also commemorated on the plaques are the Confederacy, the Battle of East Atlanta, and one of the local men who fought in that battle.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atlantakids.net/atlantakids_tours/undergroundatlanta_walking_tours.htm|title=Atlanta for Kids: Underground Atlanta Walking Tour|website=www.atlantakids.net|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222143212/http://www.atlantakids.net/atlantakids_tours/undergroundatlanta_walking_tours.htm|archive-date=February 22, 2014|access-date=February 12, 2014}}</ref>]]
The buildings comprising Underground Atlanta were constructed during the city's post-[[American Civil War|Civil War]] [[Reconstruction Era]] boom, between 1866 and 1871, when the city's population doubled from 11,000 to 22,000 residents.  In 1869, the [[Georgia Railroad Freight Depot]] was completed to replace the one [[Sherman's March to the Sea|destroyed by Sherman's troops]] in 1864. The [[Georgia Railroad]] [[Train station|depot]], which stands at the entrance of Underground Atlanta, remains the oldest building in downtown Atlanta. Although the depot was originally three stories tall, the second and third story were destroyed by fire in 1935.  Besides the [[train station]], the bustling district included hotels, banks, law offices, and [[bar (establishment)|saloon]]s.  An electric [[streetcar]] was installed in 1889 to points South, and by 1900 the depot was serving 100 trains per day with direct service between Atlanta and [[New York City]]; [[Cincinnati]], Ohio; [[Chattanooga]], Tennessee; [[Knoxville]],  Tennessee; [[Augusta, Georgia]]; [[Macon, Georgia]]; and [[Columbus, Georgia|Columbus]], Georgia.

By 1910, the intense railroad activity and development in the area led to the erection of several iron bridges to accommodate pedestrian and automotive traffic across the railroad tracks. Atlanta [[architect]] [[Haralson Bleckley]] proposed to cover over the tracks entirely with a [[ferroconcrete]] platform on viaducts in 1909; as part of the contemporary [[City Beautiful]] trend, the platform would be used for boulevards and public plazas. Although Bleckley's plan was never realized, Plaza Park (in the north block of the four-block Underground Atlanta district) was eventually built in 1948<ref name=NRHP/><ref>{{cite report |url=https://www.atlantadowntown.com/_files/docs/dachrs_finalreport.pdf#page=17 |title=Downtown Atlanta Contemporary Historic Resources Survey Report |author=Huebner, Karen |pages=11–12 |date=September 4, 2013 |publisher=Central Atlanta Progress |access-date=October 31, 2019}}</ref> and later demolished and rebuilt as [[Peachtree Fountains Plaza]].

In 1928, the "twin bridges" viaduct was completed, raising the street level of Pryor, Central, Wall, and Alabama by one and a half stories,<ref name=NRHP/> and a five-block area was completely covered up. This submerged the original street levels of Pryor, Alabama, Ponder's Alley, and Kenny's Alley, with access to the original street levels provided from Old Loyd Street.<ref name=NRHP/> During the construction of the "twin viaducts", merchants moved their operations to the second floor of their buildings, and turned the original ground floors' storefronts into [[basement]]s for storage and service.<ref name=UPI-85/><ref name=CT-89>{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1989-09-10-8901110796-story.html |title=Atlanta's Underground not just another mall |author=Joynt, Steve |agency=Scripps Howard News Service |date=September 10, 1989 |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |access-date=November 1, 2019}}</ref>

{{quotebox|text=<poem>Down in Atlanta GA
Underneath the viaduct every day
Drinking corn and hollerin' hoo-ray
Pianos playin' till the break of day</poem>
|source=&nbsp;—&nbsp;[[Bessie Smith]], "Preachin' the Blues" (1927) |align=left |width=17.5em}}
Given that this occurred during [[Prohibition]], and the fact that these "basements" were relatively obscured from the city above, some of the basements became sites for [[speakeasy]]s and [[juke joint]]s, with music and illegal drinking a common occurrence. One of the first mentions of the area is in the opening lines of [[Bessie Smith]]'s 1927 song "Preachin' The Blues" which documents its importance as an entertainment district.

For the next forty years, as Atlanta continued to grow at street level, the {{convert|12|acre|m2|sing=on}} underground area was effectively abandoned and forgotten, though frequented by the homeless.<ref name=NYT-75/>

===Entertainment district===
In the 1960s, the original storefronts were rediscovered and many architectural features from a century earlier had survived intact including decorative brickwork, granite archways, ornate marble, cast-iron pilasters, hand-carved wooden posts, and gas street lamps. Two [[Georgia Tech]] graduates, Steven H. Fuller Jr. and Jack R. Patterson,<ref name=Shavin>{{cite book |author=Shavin, Norman |title=Underground Atlanta |date=1973 |publisher=Capricorn Corporation |page=2}}</ref> began to plan a private development there<ref>Lankevich, ''Atlanta: a Chronological & Documentary History'', p. 70</ref> to restore and reopen "the city beneath the city" as a retail and entertainment district. Underground Atlanta, Inc. was incorporated May 2, 1967, and began acquiring options to lease buildings under Central Ave, Pryor, Whitehall, Hunter, Alabama, and Wall Street viaducts. Fuller and Paterson purchased all the corporation's stock in October 1967 and construction began in November 1968.<ref name=Shavin/>

A constitutional amendment was passed in Georgia naming the area a state historic site.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=888&dat=19730805&id=dsINAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AHMDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5083,4629667] {{dead link|date=July 2018}}</ref> The renovation left the original facades mainly intact and was concentrated on the spaces along Alabama, Pryor, and Kenny's Alley.<ref name=NRHP/>

[[Image:Underground ATL Postcard 2.jpg|left|thumb|upright|Postcard showing Underground Atlanta in the 1970s, featuring [[Streetcars in New Orleans#Preserved streetcars|Streetcar 924, formerly of New Orleans]]]]
The Underground Atlanta corporation spent $10&nbsp;million on redeveloping the historic area into an entertainment district.<ref name=NYT-75/> On April 8, 1969, "Underground Atlanta" officially opened with new restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and music venues installed in the old individual storefronts. At the time, [[Fulton County, Georgia|Fulton County]] was the only county in the state of Georgia that permitted mixed alcoholic beverages to be served, provided that adults met a dress code in places that served them. As a result, Underground Atlanta quickly became the center of downtown Atlanta nightlife.<ref name=NYT-75/><ref name=Kent-Chesnutt/>

Popular spots in Underground Atlanta included Dante's Down the Hatch, [[Scarlett O'Hara]], The Blarney Stone, The Rustler's Den, The Pumphouse, The Front Page, The Bank Note, and Muhlenbrink's Saloon, where Atlanta's [[Piano Red]], under the name Dr. Feelgood and the Interns, played from 1969 to 1979. Other attractions included a souvenir shop owned by governor [[Lester Maddox]] and a wax museum. With the old-style architecture lending considerable charm to the district, Underground Atlanta soon became Atlanta's best-known tourist attraction,<ref name=NYT-75/> rivaling [[Bourbon Street]] in [[New Orleans]]. By 1972, its most profitable year, Underground had 3.5 million visitors and $17 million in sales. In 1973, there were 65 businesses employing 1,000.<ref name=Kent-Chesnutt/> At its peak, there were more than 80 restaurants, clubs, boutiques, and shops in the Underground Atlanta district.<ref name=NYT-75>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/02/19/archives/underground-atlanta-complex-is-beset-by-problems-few-customers-home.html |title=Underground Atlanta Complex Is Beset by Problems |author=King, Wayne |date=February 19, 1975 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=November 1, 2019 |url-access=limited}}</ref>

The heyday of Underground Atlanta lasted for only half a decade. The legal drinking age in Georgia was lowered from 21 to 19. When neighboring [[DeKalb County, Georgia|DeKalb County]] relaxed their restrictions on alcohol consumption in the early 1970s, new bars sprouted up in other parts of the city, generating competition. The [[dress code]] restrictions were dropped and [[fight]]s began to break out. Crime became uncontrollable and the area was considered dangerous. In addition, the construction of the [[Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority|MARTA]] East Line beginning in 1975 tore out approximately one third of the Underground blocks<ref name=UPI-85/> and eliminated [[parking]].

In 1975, ''[[The New York Times]]'' noted that winter traffic to the complex was sparse and threatened the continued existence of the district; Underground Atlanta Inc. offered 26,000 shares of stock to the city of Atlanta, and proposed to fence off the district, converting the public streets into public parkland and offering a 25-cent admission charge.<ref name=NYT-75/> By 1976, sales were down to just 40% of 1973 results.<ref name=Kent-Chesnutt/>

{{quotebox |text=Underground [Atlanta] was never planned ... anyone who was there with an idea was welcomed. We built it, then just let it drift. |author=&nbsp;—&nbsp;Mayor [[Andrew Young]] |source=quoted in 1991 article<ref name=Kent-Chesnutt/> |align=right |width=30em}}
The Underground Atlanta Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 24, 1980,<ref>{{NRISref |version=2013a |dateform=dmy |access-date=November 1, 2019 |link=no |refnum=80001077 |name=Underground Atlanta Historic District}}</ref> the same year that Underground Atlanta was closed; just 26 businesses remained. Although they struggled to stay open, the area was once again [[abandoned building|abandoned]] by February 1982.<ref name=Kent-Chesnutt/><ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1177/004728758402200401 |title=Underground Atlanta: The Untimely Passing of a Major Tourist Attraction |author=Kent, William E. |date=April 1984 |volume=22 |issue=4 |journal=Journal of Travel Research|pages=2–7 |s2cid=154844411 }}</ref> Dante Stephensen, the proprietor of Dante's Down the Hatch, was the last to leave the Underground.<ref name=UPI-85>{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1985-04-15-8501220097-story.html |title=Underground Atlanta may be uplifted again |agency=United Press International |date=April 15, 1985 |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |access-date=November 1, 2019}}</ref>

===Shopping mall===
Underground sat mostly dormant for most of the 1980s.  [[Vagrancy (people)|Vagrants]] occupied several of the [[historic]] buildings, some of which were consequently destroyed by [[fire]]s.  In 1982, newly elected [[mayor of Atlanta|mayor]] [[Andrew Young]] vowed to reopen Underground as part of his plan to resuscitate [[downtown Atlanta]], starting with authorizing a $400,000 study conducted by American Cities Corporation (a subsidiary of [[The Rouse Company]], who had redeveloped and operated other "festival shopping" projects around the United States such as [[Faneuil Hall]] in [[Boston]], [[Harborplace]] in [[Baltimore]], and [[Bayside Marketplace]] in [[Miami]]); the resulting study advocated a complete redevelopment of Underground and the five blocks surrounding it. Underground Festival Development, Inc. (UFD) was formed in January 1985 to supervise the proposed redevelopment, and Mayor Young signed an agreement with UFD in July of that year. UFD began negotiating with Rouse to manage the site once complete. However, the development was put on hold in December 1985 when the [[Supreme Court of Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia Supreme Court]] ruled the proposal, which included a [[municipal bond]] issue, first required approval by Fulton County citizens.<ref name=Kent-Chesnutt />

Mindful of the security issues (real and perceived) that contributed to the first closure of Underground in 1980, UFD began to plan entrances, exits, and lighting to emphasize safety and Rouse assembled a security force of 30.<ref name=Kent-Chesnutt/> During this time, some of the clubs that had been destroyed by the MARTA construction eventually won a claim for damages from federal [[mass transit]] authorities and used the money to help revitalize the area a second time.

The restructured $85&nbsp;million bond issue was approved by the Georgia Supreme Court by July 1986, and reconstruction of Underground commenced. The Rouse Company announced it was ready to sign up tenants in March 1987; in all, the renovation cost $142&nbsp;million.<ref name=Kent-Chesnutt/> The city of Atlanta contributed $123&nbsp;million of that, including the $85&nbsp;million bond revenue, with the remainder from sales taxes and federal sources.<ref name=OS-89>{{cite news |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1989-06-16-8906160178-story.html |title=Upbeat Atlanta opens up new era of its Underground |author=Kunerth, Jeff |date=June 16, 1989 |newspaper=Orlando Sentinel |access-date=November 1, 2019}}</ref> On June 15, 1989, during heavy thunderstorms, Underground Atlanta re-opened as more of a modern [[shopping mall]] than an entertainment district;<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1989/06/15/Underground-Atlanta-opens-despite-downpour/2382613886400/ |title=Underground Atlanta opens despite downpour |author=Young, Gayle |date=June 15, 1989 |work=UPI Archives |access-date=November 1, 2019}}</ref> the revamped Underground had double the retail space of the old entertainment district, with {{convert|225000|ft2|m2|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wFwEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA73 |title=Small starts in big malls |author=Padgett, Tania |date=September 1996 |magazine=Black Enterprise |pages=73–82 |access-date=November 1, 2019}}</ref><ref name=Kent-Chesnutt/> Its 140 tenants included the retail outlets [[Sam Goody]] and [[Olivia Newton-John]]'s [[Koala Blue]] boutique, as well as a reopened Dante's Down the Hatch in the Kenny's Alley section.<ref name=Kent-Chesnutt/> Kenny's Alley was the designated entertainment area at the modern (post-1928) street level,<ref name=CT-89/> with {{convert|100000|ft2|m2|abbr=on}} available for dining and clubs.<ref name=CooperCarry>{{cite web |url=https://www.coopercarry.com/projects/underground-atlanta/ |title=Projects: Underground Atlanta |publisher=Cooper Carry |access-date=November 1, 2019}}</ref> In total, the redevelopment project spanned an area of six city blocks,<ref name=Kent-Chesnutt>{{cite journal |doi=10.1177/004728759102900407 |title=Underground Atlanta: Resurrected and Revisited |author1=Kent, William E. |author2=Chesnutt, J. Thomas |date=April 1991 |volume=29 |issue=4 |journal=Journal of Travel Research|pages=36–39 |s2cid=154983485 }}&nbsp;[http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.885.8377&rep=rep1&type=pdf Alternate URL]</ref> approximately {{convert|12|acre}}, with parking for 1,200 vehicles. The redevelopment of Underground Atlanta received an award for Excellence in Urban Design from the [[American Institute of Architects]] in 1990.<ref name=CooperCarry/>

The renovation also removed Plaza Park, which had been built in the late 1940s, and replaced it with Peachtree Fountains Plaza. Plaza Park had been the site of the city's last remaining peach tree on its namesake Peachtree Street, but 20 non-fruit-bearing trees were donated by the [[Georgia Peach Commission]] to be planted in nearby [[Woodruff Park]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1989/02/17/Peachtree-Street-again-to-bear-namesake/7533603694800/ |title=Peachtree Street again to bear namesake |agency=UPI |date=February 17, 1989 |work=UPI Archives |access-date=November 1, 2019}}</ref>

Although the historic buildings and architecture remained a major draw, some critics felt that the now-sanitized district had lost its original charm and lively atmosphere; Jeff Kunerth wrote the new Underground was "a new heart [of Atlanta] with the soul of Disney World's Main Street" in the ''[[Orlando Sentinel]]''.<ref name=OS-89/>
<gallery mode="packed" heights="150px">
File:Atlanta-Entrance to Underground.jpg|[[Six Gun Territory]] No. 4, a [[4-4-0]] [[steam locomotive]] on display at the entrance of the revamped Underground. This locomotive was sold to the Kirby Family Farm in 2017.
File:Peachtree Fountain Plaza IMG 2614 (139557114).jpg|Peachtree Fountains Plaza; steps lead down to Lower Alabama.
File:2008-03-14 Underground Atlanta.jpg|Merchants lining the halls of Lower Alabama at Underground Atlanta in March 2008
File:Shopping at Atlanta Underground.jpg|Shopping at Atlanta Underground
</gallery>
First-year sales results were encouraging, with a total of $75&nbsp;million (exceeding the projection by $5&nbsp;million) and 13&nbsp;million visitors, of which 7.8&nbsp;million were from the Atlanta metropolitan area. The number of visitors from outside the area was the only disappointment.<ref name=Kent-Chesnutt/> Developers envisioned Underground Atlanta would become the third major tourist attraction for Atlanta, including [[Stone Mountain Park]] and [[Six Flags Over Georgia]]. The [[New Georgia Railroad]] had operated a vintage train excursion from its depot (the former [[Pullman Yard]]) near Underground Atlanta to Stone Mountain Park starting in 1986;<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1989-06-11-8906110095-story.html |title=Atlanta |author=Kunerth, Jeff |date=June 11, 1989 |newspaper=Orlando Sentinel |access-date=November 1, 2019}}</ref> the excursion train service was discontinued in 1993.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.moderncities.com/article/2017-aug-autopsy-of-architecture-inside-atlantas-pratt-pullman |title=Autopsy of Architecture: Inside Atlanta's Pratt-Pullman |author=Davis, Enis |date=August 15, 2017 |website=Modern Cities |access-date=November 1, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://imgur.com/gallery/1Z45T |title=New Georgia Railroad Pamphlet |publisher=imgur |access-date=November 1, 2019}}</ref>

In August 1990, the [[World of Coca-Cola]], a [[museum]] chronicling the history of [[The Coca-Cola Company]] and [[Coca-Cola|its products]], opened adjacent to Underground Atlanta, bringing a further influx of tourists to the area. The museum would later relocate to the re-developed [[Pemberton Place]] near the [[Georgia Aquarium]]. In September 1990, [[International Olympic Committee]] President [[Juan Antonio Samaranch]] announced that Atlanta had been awarded the 1996 Summer Olympic games; citizens had gathered at Kenny's Alley to watch the announcement live on video monitors.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1990/09/18/Atlantans-celebrate-with-cheers-tears/7945653630400/ |title=Atlantans celebrate with cheers, tears |author=Coffee, Hoyt |date=September 18, 1990 |work=UPI Archives |access-date=November 1, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1990/09/18/Atlanta-wins-rights-to-1996-Olympics/3897653630400/ |title=Atlanta wins rights to 1996 Olympics |author=Myers, Morley |date=September 18, 1990 |work=UPI Archives |access-date=November 1, 2019}}</ref>

But on April 30, 1992, in the wake of the [[Rodney King]] trial verdict, the area was severely damaged by protesters and gangs, leading to the imposition of a curfew.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1992/04/30/Gangs-rampage-through-downtown-Atlanta/4443704606400/ |title=Gangs rampage through downtown Atlanta |agency=UPI |date=April 30, 1992 |work=UPI Archives |access-date=November 1, 2019}}</ref> A new marketing campaign which stated "The Fun in Town is Underground" was designed to help its public image. Although the area saw significant attendance during the [[1996 Olympics]], Underground Atlanta and the Five Points station were evacuated following [[Centennial Olympic Park bombing|the bombing]] when an abandoned bag was found,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1996/07/27/Olympics-continue-amid-fears-after-blast/9727838440000/ |title=Olympics continue amid fears after blast |author=Rabun, Mike |date=July 27, 1996 |work=UPI Archives |access-date=November 1, 2019}}</ref> and Underground still ended the year $6.5 million in the red.

Underground Atlanta was host to [[retail]] stores, restaurants, and several [[nightclub]]s and bars in Kenny's Alley and street battle dancing in the late 1990s. In 2004, in an effort to keep Underground Atlanta from closing a second time, the city passed an [[Local ordinance|ordinance]] allowing bars in the complex to remain open and serve drinks until 4:00 am – a [[last call (bar term)|last call]] 90 minutes later than the rest of the city had recently been restricted to.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-2004-02-21-0402210251-story.html |title=Report: Atlanta hushed crimes |author=Smith, Wes |date=February 21, 2004 |newspaper=Orlando Sentinel |access-date=November 1, 2019 |quote=Like Orlando's Church Street Station, the 35-year-old, city-owned Underground has struggled for years, in part because of concerns about crime. But the 12-acre tourist district has become more attractive to bar owners because it is now the only place in 'Hotlanta' with drinks flowing until 4 a.m.}}</ref> Patrons were also permitted to take their [[United States open-container laws|open]] [[alcoholic beverage|alcoholic drink]]s from bar to bar. Despite this, Underground Atlanta struggled to attract consistent and diverse patronage.<ref name="RedefiningUnderground">{{cite news |last=Henry |first=Scott |url=http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A175134 |title=Redefining Underground |publisher=creativeloafing.com |date=December 27, 2006 |access-date=January 9, 2006 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930181220/http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid:175134 |archive-date=September 30, 2007 }}
</ref> Eventually, Underground Atlanta was closed for a second time in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Underground Atlanta {{!}} Downtown Atlanta, GA |url=https://www.atlantadowntown.com/go/underground-atlanta2 |access-date=2023-09-27 |website=www.atlantadowntown.com}}</ref>

===Mixed-use renovation===
On December 17, 2014, an announcement was made by Atlanta's then mayor, [[Kasim Reed]], that the city of Atlanta was under contract to sell Underground Atlanta to developer [http://www.wrsrealestate.com/ WRS Inc.] The developer plans to turn Underground Atlanta into a [[mixed-use development]] with more retail options and above ground apartments, with total investments of $150–$200 million.<ref>{{cite news |last=Leslie |first=Katie |url=http://www.ajc.com/news/news/breaking-news/underground-atlanta-under-contract-with-new-owner/njTGS/ |title=Underground Atlanta under contract with new owner |newspaper=Atlanta Journal-Constitution |date=December 16, 2014 |access-date=January 4, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150110024430/http://www.ajc.com/news/news/breaking-news/underground-atlanta-under-contract-with-new-owner/njTGS/ |archive-date=January 10, 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2017/07/13/underground-atlanta-starts-complete-transformation.html |title=Underground Atlanta starts 'complete transformation' |last1=Wenk |first1=Amy |last2=Saporta |first2=Maria |date=July 13, 2017 |newspaper=Atlanta Business Chronicle |access-date=October 31, 2019}}</ref> The sale was completed in March 2017,<ref>{{cite news |last=Trubey |first=Scott |url=http://www.ajc.com/news/local/mayor-reed-underground-atlanta-sale-complete/XkvzE3MWTUkr4l3bIiIdgO/ |title=Mayor Reed: Underground Atlanta sale is complete |newspaper=Atlanta Journal-Constitution |date=March 31, 2017 |access-date=March 31, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170401022054/http://www.ajc.com/news/local/mayor-reed-underground-atlanta-sale-complete/XkvzE3MWTUkr4l3bIiIdgO/ |archive-date=April 1, 2017 }}</ref> and the lower level closed to the public on August 13, 2017.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kahn |first=Michael |url=https://atlanta.curbed.com/2017/10/24/16523608/wrs-reveals-scaled-back-parking-plans-for-underground |title=Update: WRS is pulling for scaled-back parking at reborn Underground Atlanta |publisher=Curbed Atlanta |date=October 24, 2017 |access-date=December 12, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213143027/https://atlanta.curbed.com/2017/10/24/16523608/wrs-reveals-scaled-back-parking-plans-for-underground |archive-date=December 13, 2017 }}</ref> WRS was better known for developing suburban strip malls, and ''[[Atlanta Journal-Constitution]]'' columnist Bill Torpy was skeptical about their prospects, calling them "an odd fit for the job".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.ajc.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-a-mystery-mans-enigmatic-venture-underground-atlanta/SG4ELQ2SYZEQRMNR4E4LQQAM54/ |title=OPINION: A mystery man's enigmatic venture, Underground Atlanta |author=Torpy, Bill |date=December 2, 2020 |newspaper=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |access-date=14 July 2022}}</ref> By January 2020, the renovation had borne few visible signs of change.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.ajc.com/news/local/opinion-will-seemingly-dead-underground-atlanta-ever-breathe-new-life/eWhkmZ6D7sbxSakzOShOhP/ |title=OPINION: Will seemingly dead Underground Atlanta ever breathe new life? |author=Torpy, Bill |date=January 1, 2020 |newspaper=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |access-date=14 July 2022}}</ref>

On November 28, 2020, Underground Atlanta was sold to Shaneel Lalani, the CEO of Norcross-based Billionaires Funding Group (BFG), a private investment firm.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.ajc.com/news/local-gaming-real-estate-executive-buys-underground-atlanta/6XGV2B4NNNAC3PMCSU6EI2DUSI/ |title=Local gaming, real estate executive buys Underground Atlanta |author=Peters, Andy |date=November 25, 2020 |newspaper=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |access-date=14 July 2022}}</ref> Lalani assembled a team of experts to suggest new directions for renovating the site; recommendations included mixed-use development with multifamily residences, expanded retail and dining options, and reopening outdoor spaces.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://reporternewspapers.net/2021/04/15/experts-assemble-to-make-recommendations-on-future-of-underground-atlanta/ |title=Experts assemble to make recommendations on future of Underground Atlanta |author=Kelley, Collin |date=April 15, 2021 |work=Reporter Newspapers |access-date=14 July 2022}}</ref> By 2021, BFG had hired [[Kimley-Horn]] and HGOR to create a master plan for the site,<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.atlantamagazine.com/news-culture-articles/underground-atlanta-will-try-try-again/ |title=Underground Atlanta will try, try again |author=Wheatley, Thomas |date=March 15, 2021 |magazine=Atlanta |access-date=14 July 2022}}</ref> and several leases were announced in 2022.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://reporternewspapers.net/2022/07/06/atlanta-brewing-company-moving-to-underground-later-this-year/ |title=Atlanta Brewing Company moving to Underground later this year |author=Kelley, Collin |date=July 6, 2022 |work=Reporter Newspapers |access-date=14 July 2022}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
Morrison, Jeffrey, Atlanta underground : history from below, Guilford, Connecticut : Globe Pequot, [2019]

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*[http://www.undergroundatl.com Official website]
*[https://www.google.com/maps/place/Underground+Atlanta/@33.7532152,-84.3918612,18.5z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x17e0d7fdddba0965!8m2!3d33.7532152!4d-84.3918612 Google Maps]
*[http://www.atlantatimemachine.com/downtown/undergound.htm Scans of vintage ads for clubs and restaurants in Underground Atlanta, mostly from the early 1970s]
*[https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8t79P8tHIWScmV3UUkyYlZ1XzdlcVY0dEFTcjRPZ2YyWHNB/view Copy of 1978 application for National Register of Historic Places with detailed history of the area and construction]
*[http://www.atlantatimemachine.com/downtown/ua.piano.red.htm In 1970, local R&B shouter Piano Red recorded a tribute record called Underground Atlanta] It was released on the KING label.
*Doug Monroe's article on Underground Atlanta in the December 2006 issue of ''Atlanta'' magazine: {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070127043706/http://www.atlantamagazine.com:80/article.php?id=310 |date=January 27, 2007 |title=Burning Question: What's Up With Underground?}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070703230301/http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/atlanta/ Atlanta, Georgia, a National Park Service ''Discover Our Shared Heritage'' Travel Itinerary]

{{Atlanta landmarks}}
{{Historic Districts in Metro Atlanta}}
{{Atlanta history}}
{{Atlanta shopping}}
{{Shopping malls in Georgia (U.S. state)}}

[[Category:Buildings and structures in Fulton County, Georgia]]
[[Category:Entertainment districts in the United States]]
[[Category:Underground cities|Atlanta]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Atlanta]]
[[Category:1969 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)]]