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| Marietta Street | |
|---|---|
| Name | Marietta Street |
| Location | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Direction a | West |
| Terminus a | Georgia State Route 3 / Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, near Georgia State Capitol |
| Direction b | West |
| Terminus b | Marietta, Georgia |
| Notable locations | Downtown Atlanta, Five Points (Atlanta), West Midtown, Atlanta, Peachtree Street, Bank of America Plaza (Atlanta) |
Marietta Street Marietta Street is a historic thoroughfare in Atlanta, Georgia that connects central Downtown Atlanta with western corridors including Marietta, Georgia. The street has served as a transportation spine, commercial axis, and site of civic architecture since antebellum times, intersecting with prominent nodes such as Five Points (Atlanta), Georgia State Capitol, and the Atlanta University Center. Its built environment reflects epochs from antebellum Georgia (U.S. state) to the late 20th-century redevelopment associated with Coca-Cola Company corporate growth and SunTrust Banks consolidation.
Marietta Street originated as the principal route linking Atlanta with Marietta during the 19th century and was integral to early Western and Atlantic Railroad alignment and Atlanta Campaign logistics before and during the American Civil War. The corridor hosted antebellum residences and later Victorian commercial blocks influenced by architects associated with John C. Calhoun-era patronage and Reconstruction-era projects tied to Freedmen's Bureau initiatives. In the Gilded Age the street became financial center with banks such as Third National Bank (Atlanta) and institutions linked to financiers like Asa Griggs Candler and industrialists connected to Georgia Railroad and Banking Company. The downtown segment was altered by urban renewal programs influenced by planners from Robert Moses-era paradigms and twentieth-century redevelopment led by figures tied to Ivan Allen Jr. and municipal administrations that coordinated with corporate tenants including The Coca-Cola Company, SunTrust Banks, Bank of America, and AT&T (South).
Marietta Street runs west-northwest from the Georgia State Capitol area through the Downtown Atlanta grid, crossing major intersections at Peachtree Street, North Avenue, and meeting arterial routes near Holloway Street and West Marietta Street. The alignment parallels freight corridors serving CSX Transportation and intersects with rights-of-way of historic lines such as the Western and Atlantic Railroad and modern services like MARTA corridors at nearby hubs including Peachtree Center Station and West End Station. Topographically the road descends from the elevated plateau of central Fulton County, Georgia into former floodplain reaches adjacent to Proctor Creek and redevelopment tracts in West Midtown, Atlanta near Bellwood Quarry and The Gulch (Atlanta). The street forms part of the urban fabric bounded by neighborhoods including Castleberry Hill, Georgia State University precincts, and the Fairlie-Poplar Historic District.
Marietta Street hosts several landmark edifices and former bank towers such as the Fairmont Building, the historic Southwest Atlanta Motor Company structures, and the early skyscraper sites that once housed the Empire Building and the Atlanta Union Station complex. Civic landmarks near the street include the Georgia State Capitol, Central Presbyterian Church (Atlanta), and institutions like Atlanta City Hall and the former offices of Atlanta Journal-Constitution publishers. Corporate headquarters and towers along or adjacent to the corridor have included addresses for Georgia-Pacific, The Coca-Cola Company, Equifax, Delta Air Lines regional offices, and bank landmarks such as SunTrust Plaza (Atlanta) and Bank of America Plaza (Atlanta). Cultural sites in proximity encompass Fox Theatre, Woodruff Arts Center, High Museum of Art, and performing venues linked to patrons like Elliott Carter and patrons affiliated with Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.
Marietta Street has been shaped by multimodal transportation projects involving historic stagecoach routes, early streetcar lines operated by companies such as Atlanta Street Railway Company, and later electric tramways integrated with downtown networks connected to Five Points (Atlanta). In the 20th century highway planning, the corridor interfaced with I-75 and I-85 planning diagrams and influenced freight access for carriers like CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railway. Contemporary transit infrastructure includes proximity to MARTA stations, bus arteries operated by Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority and shuttle services used by institutions such as Georgia State University and Georgia Tech. Streetscape improvements have been implemented in coordination with Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. concepts and municipal departments modeled after federal urban grants administered through programs similar to those overseen by United States Department of Transportation initiatives.
The street’s role as a financial axis fostered clusters of banking, insurance, and professional services associated with firms like Ernst & Young (EY), PricewaterhouseCoopers, and regional legal practices representing clients tied to Coca-Cola Enterprises and The Home Depot. Marietta Street corridors catalyzed arts and cultural activity that interacted with organizations such as Atlanta Ballet, Alliance Theatre, and neighborhood festivals organized by entities like Atlanta Downtown Improvement District. Economic shifts mirrored national trends including downtown decline and later resurgence linked to corporate relocations by SunTrust Banks and technology sector entrants associated with AT&T and software firms. The street played a part in civic demonstrations and public gatherings connected to movements that engaged groups like Southern Christian Leadership Conference and events commemorated at sites tied to Civil Rights Movement history in Atlanta.
Preservation efforts along the corridor have been pursued by local advocacy groups including Atlanta Preservation Center, municipal historic commissions such as the City of Atlanta Urban Design Commission, and neighborhood organizations in Fairlie-Poplar Historic District and Castleberry Hill. Redevelopment projects have involved adaptive reuse of historic bank buildings into mixed-use developments favored by developers linked to firms with ties to Hines Interests Limited Partnership, Cousins Properties, and transit-oriented proposals coordinated with Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. planning. Major renovation initiatives referenced planning frameworks championed by civic leaders like Sharon Gay and mayoral administrations involving Kasim Reed and Keisha Lance Bottoms emphasized historic tax credits administered under Georgia Department of Community Affairs programs and National Register nominations evaluated by Georgia Department of Natural Resources.