Georgia Aquarium Information ...

Scheduled to open in late 2005, the Georgia Aquarium will be located in downtown Atlanta, north of Centennial Olympic Park, holding approximately 5 million gallons of fresh and salt water. It is proposed to feature more than 55,000 animals from 500 different species, and the aquarium is expected to attract more than 2 million visitors in its first year of operation.

Bernie Marcus, founder of The Home Depot, is financing the Georgia Aquarium through The Marcus Foundation, as a gift to the state of Georgia and the city of Atlanta. The aquarium will be completely debt free upon opening, giving it a stable start.

"[The Denver Aquarium] is struggling because of its debt," Georgia Aquarium executive director Jeffery Swanagan said in a 2002 interview with The Atlanta Business Chronicle. "It predicted 1.6 million visitors and it only got about 1 million. It's collapsing on itself. But we've learned from mistakes in the industry."

The Jerde Partnership International has developed the plans for the 20 acres of property that will be the future home of both the Georgia Aquarium and the new World of Coca-Cola. The groundbreaking ceremonies were held in June of 2003, where renderings of the Georgia Aquarium were revealed. The aquarium will have a distinct "ship" look to it, fitting in with the aquatic theme. A 2003 Atlanta-Journal Constitution article described the aquarium as being "shaped like a modern Noah's ark, with a towering translucent bow lit from within that will stand as a new beacon of hope for downtown Atlanta."

The "G" in "Georgia" on the rendering has, in more recent months, been changed to feature a fish tail protruding from the letter itself, and the official GAqua website shows the same. The Georgia Aquarium will contain approximately 400,000-square feet of aquatic exhibits, making it one of the world's largest aquariums.

In May of 2003, the aquarium's official mascot was revealed -- an orange fish named "Deepo". Keep in mind that the Georgia Aquarium is being funded by the man who started The Home Depot.


-- Georgia Aquarium Online; last revised 2/20/05