Hard hats, hanging lights and fresh tile are quickly replacing the empty storefronts in the former CNN Center atrium as crews hustle to finish a long-running makeover before spring crowds descend on downtown. New photos from a March 30 tour show scaffolding everywhere, studio fixtures still in place and Mercedes‑Benz Stadium perfectly framed through the glass, giving Atlantans one of their first close looks inside. The 1.2‑million‑square‑foot complex is being reimagined as "The Center," shifting from a decades‑long single‑tenant home to a mix of restaurants, event space and offices. The sense of urgency points to a spring debut that lines up neatly with major downtown events.
Images from the March 30 walkthrough, published by The Atlanta Journal‑Constitution, credit photographer Arvin Temkar and show CP Group founding partner Chris Eachus leading the tour. The gallery pairs active construction zones with studio areas that look nearly frozen in time, highlighting a design that keeps pieces of the building's production past while overhauling the public spaces. Those interior shots are the most detailed public glimpse yet of what The Center is expected to feel like when doors reopen.
Food Hall, Tenants And What To Expect
The centerpiece of the ground floor will be a 24,000‑square‑foot food hall dubbed CTR Food Works, with roughly a dozen food and drink concepts and what the developer is billing as the city's largest bar, according to Axios Atlanta. Confirmed tenants range from quick‑serve counters to full sit‑down spots, and the project lists Mastro's Ocean Club as a signature ground‑floor restaurant expected to join later this year. CP Group says the lineup is being tailored as much for stadium and arena crowds as for downtown workers and visitors looking for a pregame or post‑event stop.
Timing And The World Cup
CP Group has said it aims to open portions of The Center in May, a schedule designed to get people in the doors before Atlanta hosts FIFA World Cup matches, according to Metro Atlanta CEO. City and developer statements also frame the reopening as a way to catch the tidal wave of event traffic expected around the stadium and convention district, per CBS Atlanta. That timing helps explain why the atrium buildout and the food‑and‑bar elements designed for large crowds are clearly at the front of the construction queue. Owners are also planning programming and event spaces meant to plug directly into the broader stadium and convention calendar during big events.
History, Rebranding And The Money Behind It
CP Group rebranded the property as The Center after buying the complex from AT&T in 2021 and has leaned on office leasing and hospitality partners to rethink how the space works, according to a company release on BusinessWire/CP Group. The firm has disclosed roughly $50 million in exterior upgrades and about $15 million in atrium renovations as part of the modernization effort, figures reported by Axios Atlanta. "This moment marks a shift in this project from vision to a lived experience," Eachus told the press in the release, framing the current phase as a turning point.
What The Photos Reveal About The Final Look
The AJC gallery shows studio rooms and broadcast rigging still suspended overhead while new storefronts, tile and seating areas fill in below, signaling a hybrid approach that nods to the building's production history while opening it more fully to the street. One shot frames Mercedes‑Benz Stadium through the atrium glass, underscoring how the project is being pitched as a physical and commercial link to the stadium's packed event calendar. For people who know downtown well, the promise is a far livelier, street‑level destination than the fortress‑like complex Atlantans lived with for decades.
