Downtown’s former CNN Center is roughly three months away from a reopening and revival designed to convince visitors and Atlantans to come back to the landmark property and linger longer, according to owners CP Group. 

Billed as “common ground” for the city and downtown’s newest gathering place, the rechristened The Center (or The CTR for short) is building out a 12-concept food hall created by Robert Montwaid and has signed a popular steakhouse and seafood restaurant as its dining anchor. 

The ground-floor additions and other changes are now scheduled to open in May, to align with the building’s 50th anniversary, according to CP Group officials. Atlanta’s 2026 FIFA World Cup matches will begin the following month. 

Elsewhere around the property, a $50-million investment in a new “arrival experience” and exterior renovations has wrapped, while another $15 million in atrium work is scheduled to finish before the May reopening, per CP Group reps.  

The restaurant anchor, Mastro’s Ocean Club, has signed on to take an 8,200-square-foot ground floor space, adding to locations in Manhattan, Miami, and Newport Beach. It’s forecasted to open in mid-2026. 

The 12-concept dining hall, meanwhile, will be called CTR Food Works. 

Interior designs planned for CTR Food Works downtown. Courtesy of CP Group

The 24,000-square-foot space will include the largest bar in Atlanta. Montwaid, who earned recognition as creator of Gansevoort Market in New York and later Chattahoochee Food Works in Atlanta, has signed a long-term lease to curate and operate CTR Food Works. 

Beyond the full-service bar, confirmed restaurants scheduled to open in time for FIFA World Cup festivities include:

• La Tropical (Latin kitchen)

• Fuzzy’s (seafood)

• Patty & Frank’s (burgers and hot dogs)

• Mimi Taqueria (Mexican)

• Flora D’Italia (Italian, pizza-forward)

• Dessert Box (bakery)

According to CP Group, The CTR will also serve during World Cup as home base for ATL House—the Atlanta Host Committee’s private headquarters and event space, in collaboration with the Metro Atlanta Chamber—and is already functioning as the official FIFA World Cup 2026 Atlanta Volunteer Headquarters. 

The property’s new arts and culture platform, called CTR Culture, continues to expand in partnership with ASHA Advisory, a local community-focused arts and culture group. That work includes public art, experiential activations, and cultural programming at The CTR. 

How The Center's revised atrium is expected to look and function soon. Courtesy of CP Group; designs, TVS; ASD/SKY

Two recent examples of CTR Culture’s inaugural billboard campaign.Courtesy of ASHA Advisory

The shift from construction to debuts will bring a former void in downtown’s urban fabric back to life, said Chris Eachus, a CP Group founding partner. 

“For decades, this building functioned as a fortress,” said Eachus in an update today. “With the building opening back up to the city, we are reconnecting one of Atlanta’s landmarks with the people and energy of downtown—allowing it to become something Atlantans can truly claim as their own, and bringing it back as a destination.” 

Across Atlanta’s three core submarkets, CP Group now controls more than 8 million square feet of space. Renovations at the company’s other trophy properties—Bank of America Plaza and Piedmont Center in Buckhead—are ongoing. Hines is leading retail leasing and helping guide The CTR’s redevelopment strategy downtown, per CP Group. 

Find more visuals and context for The CTR in the gallery above. 

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