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May 2003 -- The Coca-Cola Company recently announced plans
to resurrect a well-known Atlanta landmark - the giant neon sign that
once stood for nearly a half-century (from 1932 to 1981) in what is known as the Margaret Mitchell Square
at the intersection of Peachtree Street and Pryor Street. In conjunction with
its May 6 Founder's Day celebration - commemorating the company's 117th birthday
- Coca-Cola is planning to erect a retro version of the famous landmark atop
the former Olympia building at 22 Peachtree Street, near Atlanta's Woodruff
Park and Five Points district.
Maintaining much of the same design of the previous versions, Coca-Cola's new
sign will feature a circular, 33-foot diameter face that is covered in neon
lights, which emulates the flashing and animation of the original design. The
nine-foot tall, 28-feet wide Coca-Cola lettering will be illuminated with light
bulbs that perform a variety of functions to depict text messaging and various
graphic designs. Additionally, the design includes a matrix that will be used
for changeable messages, as well as a time and temperature matrix.
The 2003 version of the Coca-Cola Spectacular was developed by Peachtree City-based
Art Productions, Inc., which has worked on a number of other projects of this
magnitude for The Coca Cola Company, including the giant Coca-Cola Bottle at
Fenway Park, several displays for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake
City, as well as numerous historical wall-advertising restorations.
"Coca-Cola's original sign served as a messaging center for
the Atlanta community for nearly 50 years," said Douglas N. Daft, Chairman
of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer for The Coca-Cola
Company. "When you look back to historical pictures of the city, you often
see our sign as the backdrop to scenes of downtown visitors gathering in front
of the Loews Grand or strolling down Peachtree Street. We hope our new sign
will refresh the special memories that Atlantans have of downtown visits with
their friends and families."
From the early 1930s through 1981, the Coca-Cola Spectacular, as the branded
sign was dubbed, not only served as a marketing vehicle for the beverage company,
but also became a well-known landmark for the downtown area. As with Times Square
in New York City, the sign was a gathering place for downtown visitors, and
even served as the backdrop to annual New Year's Eve celebrations.
The sign underwent various upgrades and transfigurations throughout its tenure
at the Peachtree/Pryor Street intersection. The original was a three-part sign
featuring a nine-foot high neon trademark, a 24-sheet billboard that changed
every month and a motograph that used moving letters to relay news of current
events. The sign also incorporated a 44-foot thermometer into its design, the
first such thermometer used on a spectacular. The original sign was replaced
in 1938 with a weather sign that displayed sunrays, clouds, rain or snowflakes
to forecast the following day's weather. The last version featured a nearly
five-story tall, circular sign that advertised the Coca-Cola brand with flashing,
swirling neon lights. The sign was dismantled in January 1981 to make way for
the development of what became known as Woodruff Park.
Atlanta's new structure will be the latest addition to a distinguished list
of Neon Spectacular signs that Coca-Cola has prominently displayed at venues
in some of the largest cities in the world, including Piccadilly Circus in London
and Times Square in New York. However, Atlanta's sign will be unique in that
it is the only "retro-style" structure Coca-Cola has designed. |
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