One year after announcing plans to purchase the long-vacant lot at 98 14th Street, the Midtown Improvement District unveiled its vision for “Midtown Green” at the annual Midtown Alliance Meeting.
Despite the working project name, it’s no run-of-the-mill greenspace. The neighborhood coalition aims to turn the four-acre site into a park, public and performance space.
“We’re looking to create a cultural destination without walls,” Midtown Alliance President and CEO Kevin Green said. “Open, accessible and always evolving.”
On March 18, 2025, Midtown Improvement District leaders announced plans to buy and transform the lot. It marked the first time the district had ever taken on debt and made Midtown one of the only Community Improvement Districts in Georgia to buy property.
After buying the land, the Midtown Alliance spent a year gathering community input on how the space should be used. It also hired Field Operations, the firm behind major projects like the High Line in New York City, to design a concept.
The unveiled renderings are a winding blend of walking paths, public art and “pavilions” across a multi-level green space. The Field Operations team designed the park to accommodate a 70-foot grade change across the site. Rather than flatten it, they worked with the natural environment. Field Operations partner and multi-disciplinary design team lead Sarah Astheimer said it will make the space feel expansive.
“Even though it’s four plus acres, it’s gonna feel huge,” Astheimer said. “It’s gonna be a place where you can get lost, its going to feel like this amazing, extraordinary sequence of spaces.”
Planned elements include:
- Terraces and overlooks throughout the lot, with space for impromptu performances
- A winding walking path
- Lawn space for casual gatherings and exercise
- Immersive permanent and temporary art
- Public restrooms
- A restaurant/cafe
- Midtown Alliance office space
- Flexible seating
At the center of it all stands a pavilion inspired by a magnolia flower, set for public performances and casual use with space for up to 800 attendees.
Astheimer said the space will also be designed to absorb rain and “maximize shade” from buildings and an urban tree cover.
“These elements create a layered civic landscape where movement, performance and the experience are fully integrated,” Astheimer said. “That’s what makes this a cultural venue without walls.”
It’s an ambitious plan for one of the last undeveloped parcels of its size in Midtown – especially given its history. In 2005, plans were unveiled to turn the lot into the Atlanta Symphony Center concert hall. By 2008, it was canceled.
Woodruff Arts Center later sold the lot to a New York developer who cooked up a three-tower mega-development, which was later scaled back to a 74-story tower and eventually “No. 2 Opus Place.” Each project fell apart, and by 2023 the property was in foreclosure.
The plans for “Midtown Green” could turn the eyesore property into a “significant public space.” While it will be a public space, it will be privately owned and operated – another first for Midtown Alliance. But it’s going to take money.
Midtown Alliance President Kevin Green said organization leaders are working on design details to “bring those costs to light.” He estimated the alliance would have solid numbers in roughly 60 days. Then it will begin a capital campaign to raise the funds.
“We’re going to be looking under a lot of rocks,” Green joked.
The alliance will look for a combination of public dollars, philanthropy, corporate funding and grants to pay for the project costs and eventual operating and maintenance annual budget. Leaders in the organization say they are optimistic the city will invest, too.
“This is a chance to create one of Atlanta’s next great landmarks,” Green said. “A place people don’t just pass through, but go out of their way to experience.”
Look through additional Midtown Green renderings below.
