Georgia Aquarium Articles ...

THESTORYGROUP.COM
12/31/03
Construction begins on Georgia Aquarium



The Marcus Foundation and the Coca-Cola Co. broke ground May 29 in downtown Atlanta for the location of the new Georgia Aquarium and the new location for the old World of Coke exhibition. The 20-acre complex is just north of Centennial Olympic Park on a site Coke used for its exhibit during the 1996 Olympics.

The $200 million Georgia Aquarium, which is scheduled to open in 2005, is designed to look like an ark and will include 400,000 square feet of aquatic exhibitions, including more than 5 million gallons of fresh and salt water. It is one of the world’s largest aquariums and will contain 500 species and more than 50,000 fish. Construction is well underway on the aquarium.

In addition to the aquarium, the downtown development will include a new World of Coke, which will move from its present site near Underground Atlanta. That exhibit, which is scheduled to open in 2006 for Coke’s 120th anniversary, will feature enhanced interactive exhibits about the company and its beverages.

The two tourists attractions will share a parking deck to accommodate 1,800 vehicles.

The Georgia Aquarium was originally planned for a tract on the western end of the Atlantic Station development, but Bernie Marcus, in a move that was a surprise to everyone including the developers of Atlantic Station, announced in the summer of 2002 the move to the downtown site and co-development with Coca-Cola.



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