Georgia State University is gearing up for a major transformative project on its downtown Atlanta campus, but the $107 million overhaul will destroy the first building designed and built for the college.
It’s a fast-tracked catalog of nine projects set to turn the commuter-centric campus into a true college destination before Atlanta hosts the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In November, the Robert E. Woodruff Foundation gave the University System of Georgia an $80 million gift to finish the project. It’s the largest donation in GSU and the University System of Georgia’s history.
“We were confronted with an opportunity to dream a dream,” GSU President M. Brian Blake said. “We were asked, ‘What could you do in two years?'”
Georgia State University dreamed up a plan to turn the college district’s parks into “hubs” for student life. Renovations at 25 Park Place will connect Broad Street and Aderhold Center to form a gathering space at Woodruff Park.
The highlight is the Hurt Park overhaul. Development plans will integrate the campus Greenway into a district that crosses Gilmer Street and connects to Hurt Park with new walkways and an elevated plaza. Sparks Hall will be replaced with a grassy expanse of amphitheater seating.
It’s a major step for the university as it transforms into a true campus in the city. But Sparks Hall is collateral for the change, and some take issue with the pending demolition. Built in 1955 and named after GSU’s first president, George Sparks, Sparks Hall was the first building created by the university.
Today it’s a hub for student life. Sparks Hall is home to more than 35 classrooms, student admissions, financial aid offices, the registrar’s office and a host of instructor and administrative offices.
The fast-paced project aims to complete the transformation before thousands descend on downtown Atlanta in 2026 for the World Cup. All existing classes and offices in the hall will be moved to other buildings this summer to prepare for construction. The school announced it would host a public hearing in late May or early June to discuss how the demolition aligns with “our plan to create a true college town downtown.”
The news of Sparks Hall’s removal surprised some Atlanta residents. When asked about the building, one GSU professor said in April that he didn’t know the building was coming down. Its demolition was announced in November.
But Sparks Hall is a historic building, and Atlanta Preservation Center Executive Director David Y. Mitchell thinks it’s an institution and “should be treated like one.”
“I like being in Atlanta, I want to stay in Atlanta, and Sparks Hall is Atlanta,” Mitchell said.
When the project news broke, Mitchell shared hopes the building could be preserved for adaptive reuse instead of destroyed. But as demolition draws closer, he’s taken to stronger pleas.
“The less you give something recognition, the easier it is to remove it from the lexicon,” Mitchell said. “Sparks Hall is like the student body – it’s been a constant visual experience for that academic community for decades and its removal is a scar.”
Mitchell said he supports a lot of GSU’s work downtown, and it “should be applauded,” but the Sparks Hall demolition is a thoughtless move.
“That place is a part of [their] identity, it’s like removing an appendage,” Mitchell said.
The Georgia Historic Preservation Division determined Sparks Hall is eligible to be on the Georgia National Register of Historic Places. The mid-century building is noted for its architecture and marble cladding. In a public notice, the university said it has prepared an Environmental Effects Report and mitigation measures to “offset the impact to historic properties.”
Sparks Hall’s demolition was approved in January 2025. In a public statement, Executive Vice President L. Jared Abramson and Facilities Management Vice President Ramesh Vakamundi said the university plans to “honor the significance of Sparks Hall in many ways.”
“We will work with our architects to explore ways we can repurpose the iconic marble cladding and reuse the commemorative flagpole and gas-burning streetlight that now stand in front of the building,” the executives said in a statement.
Mitchell still hopes the school will look at other options and let the public engage with the plan. On Apr 25, 2025, the University System of Georgia opened a 30-day window to request a public hearing on the plan. David Mitchell filed a request ten days later.
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