Half a year after demolition kicked off, there’s barely a trace of the first purpose-built structure for Georgia State University’s growing student population left in downtown. 

The removal of circa-1955 Sparks Hall and the closure of Gilmer Street on the south side of renovated landmark Hurt Park are key components of what GSU leadership consider one of the most ambitious projects the university has ever taken on. 

Along with under-construction renovations at Woodruff Park, the work is part of nine different initiatives collectively called “College Town Downtown” that are aiming to create a more vibrant, cohesive university look and feel across a wide swath of some of Atlanta’s oldest blocks. The expected project cost is $107 million. 

The bulk of upgrades is being funded by an $80-million Woodruff Foundation grant announced in 2024—the largest in GSU’s 111-year history and the most generous gift the foundation has ever given to a university in Georgia. 

Initial timelines called for wrapping the work prior to 2026 FIFA World Cup festivities, but clearly that didn’t pan out. 

Sparks Hall prior to demo in early 2025, with an open Gilmer Street and Hurt Park at right. Google Maps

Sparks Hall is demolished and Gilmer Street has been closed to vehicles, as seen looking west into downtown. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Near Hurt Park, or what’s considered the core of campus, GSU’s existing Campus Greenway will be integrated with the historic park space to create the Panther Quad, a key feature of what will be called Central Academic Quad. Expect an elevated plaza, a green buffer with landscaping along Courtland Street, and enhanced walkways where Sparks Hall once stood, as Gilmer Street is turned into a pedestrian-only zone. 

Once the Campus Greenway expansion is complete, GSU’s next-door Arts & Humanities Building is slated to receive a 20,000-square-foot addition and modernized façade, all overlooking the new quad park. 

According to GSU, the Arts & Humanities Building work is scheduled to kick off in June next year. 

How Gilmer Street and the former Sparks Hall site look today from Hurt Park. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

Gilmer Street has been closed and Sparks Hall demolished to build this pedestrian-friendly streetscape that links the expanded Greenway with Hurt Park, forming a new Panther Quad.Georgia State University

Meanwhile, across Edgewood Avenue, just north of Hurt Park, big changes are also in store for the 100 Edgewood high-rise building.

That 1960s, 18-story structure will see a dining area and gathering space installed at its base, while the first four floors will be remade into classrooms, “confirming [100 Edgewood’s] presence as a cornerstone of the new campus core,” as GSU officials announced in 2024. 

At Woodruff Park, on the side opposite Peachtree Street, changes call for moving an Atlanta Streetcar platform to better align with a park entrance, new sidewalks, and plaza and façade improvements at the 25 Park Place building. 

A block of Park Place, between Edgewood and Auburn avenues, will be closed to all vehicles except the streetcar, per GSU. 

Greenspace construction on the eastern side of downtown's Woodruff Park today. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta

 

Plans at the cusp of Woodruff Park call for closing a block of Park Place to vehicle traffic, allowing only the Atlanta Streetcar. Georgia State University

Find a breakdown of GSU’s plans—and a look at construction progress today—in the gallery above. 

...

Follow us on social media: 

Twitter / Facebook/and now: Instagram  

• Downtown news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)