On the heels of an $11 million, Atlanta will welcome back an historic jewel when the Georgian Terrace grand opens in May. Located in the heart of the city’s arts and culture district across from the Fox Theatre, the Georgian Terrace was built in 1910, and opened to the public on October 2, 1911 at a gala attended by thousands. At the time, it was lauded as Atlanta's finest hotel.
Designed by New York architect, William L. Stoddart, whose legacy includes 26 significant works of architecture scattered throughout the eastern U.S., the Georgian Terrace Hotel was designed in the Beaux Arts style as a Southern interpretation of a Parisian hotel featuring turreted corners, floor-to-ceiling Palladian-style windows and wide wrap-around columned terraces throughout. Details such as crystal chandeliers, white marble columns, elliptical staircases and Italian tiled floors solidified its mark as the height of elegance.
The Georgian Terrace Hotel was designed to address both Ponce and Peachtree streets through the use of the turreted corners connecting the two facades. This effect was further enhanced by the curving facade of the neighboring Ponce de Leon Apartments, also designed by Stoddart, and opened in 1913. Together, the Georgian Terrace Hotel and the Ponce de Leon Apartments form an elegant gateway to Ponce de Leon Avenue. The prominence of the intersection was assured with the construction of the "Fabulous" Fox Theatre in 1927, one of the largest theatres built during the height of the golden age of movie palaces.
The hotel has played host to many of Atlanta’s most notable events, including the teachings of dance legend Arthur Murray in the Grand Ballroom, the “Gone With the Wind” premiere and, during World War II, the hotel’s ballrooms hosted numerous fundraisers for the war effort. The hotel served as a popular gathering place for wealthy Atlantans and emerged as a symbol of the resurrection of the Southern capital from its faded Civil War ruins. The hotel sits on the former site of the two-story home of Mayor Livingston Mims, elected in 1900, and whose legacy was the creation of Atlanta’s streetcars.
