CNN Center

Former headquarters of CNN in Atlanta, Georgia, United States

The Center

Aerial view of The Center with previous CNN signage

Former names| Omni Complex (1976–1987)
CNN Center (1987–2024)
General information
Status| Completed
Address| 1 CNN Center
Atlanta, Georgia
30303
Coordinates| 33°45′29″N 84°23′41″W﻿ / ﻿33.757934°N 84.394811°W﻿ / 33.757934; -84.394811
Current tenants| List of stores and restaurants
Opened| 1976; 49 years ago (1976)
Owner| CP Group
Design and construction
Architect(s)| Tvsdesign
Developer| Cousins Properties
Website
cpgcre.com/project/cnn-center/

The Center, formerly and still commonly called the CNN Center, is the former international headquarters of U.S. cable network CNN in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The main newsrooms and studios for several of CNN's news channels were located in the building. The facility's commercial office space was occupied by various units of the former Turner Broadcasting System, now part of Warner Bros. Discovery. The Center is located in downtown Atlanta adjacent to Centennial Olympic Park.

In 2020, CNN announced that it would relocate its Atlanta operations back to the Turner Broadcasting Techwood campus in Midtown Atlanta. The One CNN Center office building was acquired by CP Group in 2021.[1] Production activities moved back in October 2023, while the last of CNN's domestic programs moved in February 2024.

On April 4, 2024, CP Group announced that CNN Center would be renovated, and was in the process of being rebranded as "The Center."[2]

## History

[edit]

### 1970s and 1980s

[edit]

The building opened in 1976 as the Omni International Complex, a development by Cousins Properties. The Omni Coliseum, an NBA and NHL arena adjacent to the Omni International, had opened three years earlier, on October 14, 1972.[3] The Omni International office building was largely vacant until CNN moved its headquarters there in 1987 from its Midtown Atlanta site (old home of the Progressive Club on 1050 Techwood Drive and home to Turner Broadcasting System).[4] The building was bought for $42 million in 1985.[5]

Over the years, the building had provided office space to various business tenants, as well as foreign consulates. The main floor featured an indoor ice rink, as well as a small number of restaurants and a Gold Mine video arcade. Sid and Marty Krofft built an indoor amusement park called The World of Sid and Marty Krofft, inspired by the creations of these popular children's television producers. Opened in 1976, it was the first indoor theme park in the United States, but it closed within six months. The complex also featured a multi-screen movie theater. For years, the theater offered daily showings of the 1939 film Gone with the Wind, which Ted Turner called "The greatest movie ever made".[6]

### 1990s

[edit]

Interior view

On May 11, 1997, the Omni Coliseum closed. Its replacement, Philips Arena (now State Farm Arena), broke ground on June 5, 1997. The Omni Coliseum was imploded on July 26, 1997, with the CNN Center taking on minor exterior window damage due to its close distance to the Omni Coliseum. Because of this, the CNN Center was expected to be damaged.[7] Philips Arena opened on September 18, 1999.

### 2000s

[edit]

On April 4, 2007, Arthur Mann, an employee at the Omni Hotel, shot and severely injured his ex-girlfriend Clara Riddles inside the CNN Center. The adjacent CNN.com newsroom was evacuated shortly after the first shots were heard. Mann was confronted and shot by a Turner Security Officer, and both Riddles and Mann were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. Riddles later died of her injuries. An autopsy showed that Riddles was shot three times by Mann. The motive of the shooting is unknown.[8][9]

See also: 2008 Atlanta tornado outbreak

On March 14, 2008, an EF-2[10] tornado passed through downtown Atlanta, damaging the CNN Center and leaving water and dust in the upper floors. The ceiling of the atrium was also damaged, allowing water to pour in and partially flood the food court. CNN's library was damaged, although it was not immediately known how much of its archives were damaged.[11] Numerous injuries and widespread damage were reported overall. The Omni Hotel, attached to the CNN Center, was evacuated as a precaution, and more than 400 rooms had to be emptied of occupancy for two weeks.

### 2010s

[edit]

Final logo as CNN Center

On June 13, 2014, a car crashed into the CNN Center, causing minor structural damage.[12] The driver claimed to have fallen asleep at the wheel, and was charged with driving under the influence (DUI) and possession of marijuana.[13]

#### Disinvestment from Omni Hotel

[edit]

In 2016, the chief financial officer (CFO) Pascal Desroches of Turner said the company would divest its 50% stake in the center's Omni Hotel in favor of redeveloping its Techwood campus in Atlanta. This is where other Turner broadcast operations are based.[14]

### 2020s

[edit]

Main article: George Floyd protests in Atlanta

On May 29, 2020, the CNN Center became the scene of rioting in response to the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, four days earlier, as the building also houses a Zone 5 police precinct for the Atlanta Police Department. Rioters graffitied the CNN logo in the front of the building and caused property damage to the building's entrance glass curtain wall and APD vehicles; the front lobby was damaged, though protesters never breached into the core common area of the building, with the logo sign repainted shortly thereafter.[15][16]

On June 29, 2020, exactly a month after the incident, WarnerMedia announced plans to sell the CNN Center. Once sold, WarnerMedia will continue to lease their existing space for several years until the Techwood campus, previously occupied by CNN until 1987, is expanded to accommodate CNN's Atlanta operations.[17]

On November 21, 2020, a group of right-wing activists organized by the WalkAway campaign gathered in front of the CNN Center. In the 2020 presidential election, Joe Biden won the state's 16 electoral votes, the first Democrat to win the state since Bill Clinton in 1992. The protesters were inspired by claims of voter fraud.[18]

On January 11, 2023, it was reported that CNN would be leaving the CNN Center before the end of 2023.[19] CNN control room activities moved back to CNN's original Midtown Atlanta campus on October 30, 2023. Several weekend shows would continue to be based at CNN Center through the end of 2023.[20] On February 25, 2024, CNN Newsroom and CNN This Morning Weekend aired their final broadcasts from the CNN Center, and moved to Techwood the following week.[21]

On April 4, 2024, CP Group announced that CNN Center would be renovated and rebranded as "The Center."[2]

## Features

[edit]

CNN Atlanta Newsroom Inside CNN Studio Tour check-in

The CNN Center also houses an Omni Hotel and features a large atrium food court frequented by local business employees, tourists, attendees at State Farm Arena, and Mercedes-Benz Stadium events, and conference attendees from the nearby Georgia World Congress Center.

CNN's multi-channel output to the world is broadcast on large screens around the center. Until 2020, studio tours were available and included demonstrations of technologies, such as Chroma key and teleprompters, as well as visits to viewing galleries overlooking the newsrooms and anchors of CNN International, HLN, CNN 10, and CNN en Español.

The atrium escalator used to first transport visitors to The World of Sid and Marty Krofft and later to the CNN tour has been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the "longest freestanding (supported only at the ends) escalator in the world"; it is 196 feet (60 m) long.[22] Built for the theme park that once occupied the building, it is part of the building's original structure, making it very hard to remove. The steel exoskeleton remains, but the escalator was removed the week of February 24, 2025 as a part of the renovations transitioning the building from "The CNN Center" to "The Center."

MARTA rail service is provided to the CNN Center at the GWCC/CNN Center station. Access to the Red and Gold lines may be gained by a ten-fifteen minute walk to Peachtree Center station.

### List of tenants

[edit]

* Arby's
* Atlanta Police Department[23]
* AT&T Store
* BurgerFi
* Cartoon Network Store
* Chick-fil-A
* China Breeze
* Dantanna's Downtown
* Dunkin' Donuts
* Fresh to Order
* Great Wraps
* McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurants
* Moe's Southwest Grill
* Natural's Ice Cream, Yogurt & Smoothies
* Roman Delight
* Starbucks
* Subway
* TJ's Sandwiches
* U.S. Postal Store
* Wells Fargo Bank

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "CP Group, Formerly Crocker Partners, Acquires One CNN Center In Downtown Atlanta, GA". CP Group. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
2. ^ a b Hansen, Zachary. "CNN Center is no more. Atlanta icon's new name is now 'The Center'". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ISSN 1539-7459. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
3. ^ "Omni International Complex".
4. ^ "1050 Techwood Drive". AtlantaTimeMachine. Archived from the original on September 16, 2012. Retrieved May 16, 2011.
5. ^ "Better than the CIA?". The Straits Times. January 12, 1992. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
6. ^ "Turner Acquires 'Gone With the Wind'". The New York Times. August 14, 1987. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
7. ^ Green, Josh (August 13, 2018). "Recapping Atlanta's 10 most dynamite implosions through the years". Curbed Atlanta. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
8. ^ "Gunman kills woman at CNN Center". CNN.com. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
9. ^ "Woman shot 3 times at CNN Center, autopsy shows". CNN. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
10. ^ "Tornado trashes Atlanta". CNN.com. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
11. ^ "Rescuers search for Atlanta tornado victims". CNN.com. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
12. ^ Eliott C. McLaughlin. "Car crashes through plate glass at CNN Center". CNN.com. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
13. ^ "Driver charged with DUI after crashing into CNN Center". WSBTV. June 13, 2014. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
14. ^ Ariens, Chris (May 13, 2016). "Turner to Sell Stake in Part of Atlanta's CNN Center". Adweek. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
15. ^ Alfonso III, Fernando (May 29, 2020). "CNN Center in Atlanta damaged during protests". CNN. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
16. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Violent George Floyd protests at CNN Center unfold live on TV". YouTube. May 29, 2020.
17. ^ "WarnerMedia selling CNN Center in downtown Atlanta". WSB-TV. June 29, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
18. ^ "'CNN Sucks': Crowd Chants Outside Atlanta Headquarters Once Targeted by BLM Protesters". Newsweek. November 21, 2020. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
19. ^ "CNN's Permanent Move From CNN Center to Techwood Campus Will Conclude This Year". Adweek. January 11, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
20. ^ "Production officially ended at CNN Center in Atlanta Friday, moving to Midtown". Atlanta Journal Constitution. October 29, 2023. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
21. ^ "CNN's ATL-Based Programming Ends Use of CNN Center Studios". TVNewser. February 26, 2024. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
22. ^ "Guinness Book of World Records". www.guinnessworldrecords.com. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
23. ^ "Atlanta Police Department Zone 5". www.atlantapd.org. Retrieved May 30, 2020.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to CNN Center.

* CNN.com website
* CNN Center Studio Tour website
* CNN Store
* Omni Hotel at CNN Center

* v
* t
* e

Omni Hotels & Resorts

Properties|

* Amelia Island Plantation
* The Battery Atlanta
* CNN Center
* Mount Washington Hotel
* Omni Bedford Springs Resort
* Omni Berkshire Place
* Omni Dallas Hotel
* The Omni Grove Park Inn
* The Omni Homestead Resort
* The Omni King Edward Hotel
* Omni La Costa Resort & Spa
* Omni Oklahoma City Hotel
* Omni Parker House
* Omni PGA Frisco Resort & Spa
* Omni Providence Hotel
* Omni Royal Orleans
* Omni San Diego Hotel
* Omni San Francisco Hotel
* Omni Severin Hotel
* Omni Shoreham Hotel
* Omni William Penn Hotel

Related|

* Robert Rowling
* TRT Holdings

* v
* t
* e

Atlanta landmarks

Current

| Cemeteries|

* Decatur
* Greenwood
* Oakland
* South Bend
* Utoy
* Westview

|

Commercial|

* 200 Peachtree
* Academy of Medicine
* Atlantic Station
* AmericasMart
* Biltmore
* B. Mifflin Hood Brick Company Building
* Clermont Lounge
* Crum & Forster Building
* Fire Station No. 11
* Five Points Coca-Cola sign
* Forsyth-Walton Building
* Georgia World Congress Center
* Kodak Building
* Lenox Square
* M.C. Kiser Company Building
* Magic City
* Manuel's Tavern
* Mary Mac's Tea Room
* Murder Kroger
* Phipps Plaza
* Ponce City Market
* Switchyards Building
* Underground Atlanta
* The Battery Atlanta
* The Varsity

Educational|

* Brittain Dining Hall
* Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons
* Food Processing Technology Building
* Georgia Tech Historic District
* Georgia Tech Library
* Klaus Advanced Computing Building
* Marcus Nanotechnology Building
* Omega Chapter of the Chi Phi Fraternity
* Student Competition Center
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* Technology Square

Governmental|

* Atlanta City Hall
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* Miss Freedom

Monuments|

* Statue of Ellis Arnall
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* Confederate Obelisk
* Continuing the Conversation
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* Expelled Because of Color
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* The First Graduate
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* Statue of John Brown Gordon
* Statue of John Stith Pemberton
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* Statue of Samuel Spencer
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* Statue of Eugene Talmadge
* The Three Pioneers
* Statue of Thomas E. Watson
* Statue of Dominique Wilkins
* World Athletes Monument

Museums|

* APEX Museum
* Atlanta Contemporary Art Center
* Atlanta Cyclorama & Civil War Museum
* Atlanta History Center
* Callanwolde Fine Arts Center
* Children's Museum of Atlanta
* College Football Hall of Fame
* Delta Flight Museum
* Fernbank Museum of Natural History
* Fernbank Science Center
* Fire Station No. 6
* Hammonds House Museum
* High Museum of Art
* Jimmy Carter Library and Museum
* Joel Chandler Harris House (Wren's Nest)
* King Plow Arts Center
* Margaret Mitchell House and Museum
* Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park
* Michael C. Carlos Museum
* Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia
* Museum of Design Atlanta
* National Center for Civil and Human Rights
* Rhodes Memorial Hall House Museum
* Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking
* William Breman Jewish Heritage & Holocaust Museum
* World of Coca-Cola

Parks and
wildlife|

* Atlanta Botanical Garden
* BeltLine
* Burger Bowl
* Centennial Olympic Park
* Chastain Park
* Chattahoochee River
* Fernbank Forest
* Georgia Aquarium
* Grant Park
* Historic Fourth Ward Park
* Liberty Plaza
* Piedmont Park
* Playscapes
* Stone Mountain
* Woodruff Park
* Zoo Atlanta

Performing
arts|

* Alliance Theatre
* Atlanta Symphony Hall
* Atlanta Civic Center
* Buckhead Theatre
* Center for Puppetry Arts
* Center Stage
* Coca-Cola Roxy
* Donna and Marvin Schwartz Center for Performing Arts
* Ferst Center for the Arts
* Fox Theatre
* Goat Farm Arts Center
* King Plow Arts Center
* Madison Theatre
* Plaza Theatre
* Rialto Center for the Arts
* Shakespeare Tavern
* Strand Theatre
* The Masquerade
* The Tabernacle
* Tara Theatre
* Variety Playhouse
* Woodruff Arts Center

Religious|

* Al-Farooq Masjid
* All Saints' Episcopal
* Annunciation Greek Orthodox
* Antioch Baptist Church North
* Big Bethel AME
* Buckhead
* Cathedral of Christ the King
* Central Presbyterian
* The Church at Ponce & Highland (Druid Hills Baptist Church)
* Church of the Apostles
* Congregation Beth Jacob
* Druid Hills Presbyterian
* Ebenezer Baptist
* First Church of Christ, Scientist
* First Congregational
* First Presbyterian
* First United Methodist
* Grace United Methodist
* Immaculate Conception
* Lutheran Church of the Redeemer
* North Avenue Presbyterian
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* Rock Spring Presbyterian
* Sacred Heart of Jesus
* St. Bartholomew's Episcopal
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* St. Philip's Cathedral
* The Temple
* Wheat Street Baptist

Residential
(former)|

* Asa G. Candler Jr. (Callanwolde)
* Water T. Candler (Lullwater)
* Joel Chandler Harris (Wren's Nest)
* Alonzo F. Herndon (Herndon Home)
* Edward H. Inman (Swan House)
* Martin Luther King Jr.
* Ferdinand McMillan (The Castle)
* Margaret Mitchell
* Edward C. Peters (Ivy Hall)
* Amos Giles Rhodes (Rhodes Hall)
* Rufus M. Rose
* Craigie House

Skyscrapers|

| Historic
(pre-WWII)|

* Bona Allen (1923)
* Candler (1906)
* Carnegie (1925)
* Connally (1916)
* Cox-Carlton (1925)
* Flatiron (1897)
* Georgian Terrace (1911)
* Glenn (1923)
* Healey (1914)
* Hurt (1926)
* J. Mack Robinson (Empire) (1901)
* The Metropolitan (1911)
* Ponce de Leon Apartments (1913)
* Rhodes-Haverty (1929)
* Southern Bell (1929)
* William-Oliver (1930)
* Winecoff Hotel (1913)
* W. D. Grant (1898)

|

Downtown|

* 25 Park Place (Trust Company of Georgia)
* 55 Marietta Street (Fulton National Bank)
* 101 Marietta Street
* 191 Peachtree Tower
* Coastal States Building
* Equitable
* Five Points Plaza
* Fourth National Bank building
* Georgia Power
* Georgia-Pacific Tower
* Hyatt Regency Atlanta
* Marriott Marquis
* One Park Tower
* Peachtree Center
* Peachtree Summit
* State of Georgia Building
* Truist Plaza
* TWELVE Centennial Park
* Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel

Midtown|

* 999 Peachtree
* 12th & Midtown
* 1010 Midtown
* 10 Sixty Five Midtown
* 1075 Peachtree
* 1100 Peachtree
* 1180 Peachtree
* 1280 West
* Tower Square
* Regions Plaza
* Atlantic Station
* 171 17th Street
* The Atlantic
* Bank of America Plaza
* Coca-Cola
* Colony Square
* CNN Center
* Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta/GLG Grand
* Mayfair Condominiums
* One Atlantic Center (IBM Tower)
* One Georgia Center
* Promenade II
* Spire
* Ten Peachtree Place
* ViewPoint
* Yoo on the Park

Buckhead|

* 2828 Peachtree
* 3344 Peachtree
* 3630 Peachtree
* Atlanta Financial Center
* Atlanta Plaza
* Buckhead Grand
* Mandarin Oriental
* Paramount at Buckhead
* Park Avenue Condominiums
* Park Place
* The Pinnacle
* Realm
* Resurgens Plaza
* Terminus
* Tower Place

Perimeter Center|

* Concourse Corporate Center V & VI (King & Queen towers)
* Park Towers I & II
* Three Ravinia Drive

Former

* 688 Club
* Alex Cooley's Electric Ballroom
* Atlanta Cabana Motel
* Atlanta Hotel
* Atlanta (Confederate) Rolling Mill
* Atlantic Steel Mill
* Church of Our Father
* Coca-Cola Olympic City
* Confederate Soldiers' Home
* DeGive's Opera House
* Equitable Building (1892)
* First Universalist
* Fourth National Bank
* 3rd Georgia Governor's Mansion (John H. James mansion)
* Henry Grady Hotel
* Hotel Ansley
* Hotel Aragon
* Judge William Wilson House
* Junior's Grill
* Kimball House
* Leyden House
* Loew's Grand Theatre
* Majestic Hotel
* Masonic Temple
* National Museum of Patriotism
* Neely Nuclear Research Center
* Pappenheimer Mansion
* Paramount Theatre
* Peachtree Arcade
* Piedmont Hotel
* Ponce de Leon amusement park
* Ponce de Leon Springs
* Republic Block
* Rich's
* Riverbend Apartments
* Roxy Theatre
* SciTrek
* State Square
* Terminal Station
* Trout House
* Turner Broadcasting tower
* Union Stations:
* 1853
* 1871
* 1930
* Post Office and Customs House/City Hall (1911–1930)
* Walton Spring
* Washington Hall

Planned

* 1105 West Peachtree
* Atlanta Multi-Modal Passenger Terminal
* Atlanta Symphony Center
* Midtown Union
* Opus Place
* The Stitch

See also: Atlanta sports venues
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