The building was developed by Cousins Properties and designed by the architectural firm Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates LLC. Designed in the Postmodern style reminiscent of Art Deco, it was built in only 14 months, one of the fastest construction schedules for any building. The Plaza's imposing presence is heightened by the dark color of its exterior. It soars into the sky with vertical lines that reinforce its height while also creating an abundance of revenue-generating corner offices. It is located over on Peachtree Street. There is a obelisk-like spire at the top of the building echoing the shape of the building as a whole. Most of the spire is covered in 23 karatgold leaf. The open-lattice steel pyramid underneath the obelisk glows yellow-orange at night due to lighting. Originally, the lattice was designed to be clad in glass, but the engineers failed to take the weight of the glass into account. At its most basic, this is a modern interpretation of the Art Deco theme seen in the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building. The inhabited part of the building actually ends abruptly with a flat roof. On top of this is built a pyramid of girders, which are gilded and blaze at night, with the same type of yellow-orange high-pressure sodium lighting now used in most street lights. Its design has been characterized as similar to the Messeturm in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. The skyscraper, built at a 45-degree angle to the city's street grid, is set back off its eastern and western street boundaries, Peachtree Street and West Peachtree Street, by over 50 yards. This setback is filled, variously, by driveways, parking garage entrances, potted plants, granite staircases, and sloping lawns. The building directly abuts the sidewalk on North Avenue, its northern boundary, with access to this street through a parking garage entrance and stairs leading from the building's main lobby. Some urban planners decry the building as a Corbusian "tower in a park", as it actively disengages itself from the urban environment surrounding it, entirely omitting sidewalk-facing retail space. Critics argue that the building encourages its tenants to access it primarily by car and to remain inside the complex during the day. However it is across the street from the MARTA-rail North Avenue station. Developers have rumored that the land under the surrounding driveways and lawns may be redeveloped into low- and mid-rise mixed-use buildings with street-fronting uses as the area urbanizes and the value of land in Midtown Atlanta increases. In 2014, new sidewalks, pavers, ADA ramps, pedestrian light-poles, improved tree wells, new bike racks and landscaping were planned. These neighborhood improvements were completed by 2016 at a cost of $1.04 million.
Renovations and sustainable building initiative
In 2014, a $30 million renovation to the lobby, health club, and conference facility was completed It has also achieved Leadership in Energy and Environmental DesignSilver certification. The building and property management were awarded Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce E3 Liquid Assets, a recognition in water sustainability. Midtown Atlanta's Midtown Alliance also recognized it as an EcoDistrict Green Luminary for its significant commitment to sustainability practices. Beginning in 2016, $15 million will be invested over the next few years to significantly modernize the common areas including the lobby, west wing and some deferred maintenance.
Building ownership
BentleyForbes acquired the building from Cousins Properties in 2006 for $436 million, a record price at $348 per square foot. In 2012, LNR and lenders acquired the property via foreclosure. In 2013, CWCapital took over the asset management, sponsoring and representing the building's bond holders from LNR and hired real estate services company Cushman & Wakefield and property manager Onyx Equities. In 2016, a fund managed by San Francisco-based Shorenstein Properties acquired the building. CBRE Group was hired to head leasing efforts. The largest tenant in the building is Troutman Sanders, a law firm.
In popular culture
The building appears as the headquarters of Westgroup Energy in the AMC period drama Halt and Catch Fire. The building is known to Atlanta locals as the Pencil Building because of the way it glows at night.
