The owners of downtown Atlanta’s CNN Center have announced that the landmark office building is getting a new name after its former namesake vacated its longtime corporate home.
The longtime home of the country’s first 24-hour news network will lose CNN from its name and become “The Center,” the building’s owner CP Group said in a news release. The decision comes a month after the iconic red-and-white 5,000-pound aluminum CNN logo was removed from the sidewalk spot outside the complex.
Chris Eachus, partner at Florida-based CP Group, said in the release the rebranding aims to preserve a piece of the building’s legacy as an Atlanta landmark and tourist attraction while moving it into a new era without CNN.
“CP Group’s rebranding of the former CNN Center into The Center aims to create a unifying destination for commerce, culture and connection,” Eachus said. “Our vision includes curating an unparalleled selection of dynamic users, dining and retail experiences, entertainment offerings, and elevated lifestyle amenities — all of which will be carefully crafted to draw the community into the heart of the city.”
Rebranding doesn’t always stick in the public lexicon. People still refer to Chicago’s Willis Tower as Sears Tower. Atlantans occasionally slip up and call Truist Plaza and Truist Park by the former bank name, SunTrust.
CNN wasn’t the original name of The Center. It was originally the Omni Complex, developed by famed Atlanta real estate giant Tom Cousins. It contained the Omni Coliseum arena that formerly housed the Hawks and Flames, the Omni hotel, office space, a huge atrium and ice skating rink. The short-lived theme park, the World of Sid and Marty Krofft, famous for the 1960s children’s TV show ‘‘H.R. Pufnstuf,” occupied a portion of the campus.
But the office space was largely empty until CNN opened its headquarters there in 1987.
CNN announced in January 2023 that it…
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