Images: Old CNN Studios to morph into 'The Looking Glass' downtown

With so much happening downtown right now, this one nearly slipped through the cracks, like Alice down the rabbit hole.

Where CNN Studios operated for decades in downtown Atlanta, the team behind Your 3rd Spot at The Works district is planning to build a sprawling, “Alice in Wonderland”-themed concept called The Looking Glass across several levels of spaces overlooking Centennial Olympic Park.

The Looking Glass was announced earlier this month as a major tenant of The CTR complex, CP Group’s 1.2-million-square-foot remake of the former CNN Center.

The “truly original… immersive social destination” will span about 38,000 square feet, with enough capacity for more than 1,000 guests at once. It’s billed as a whimsical, “multi-level world where curiosity leads, one pass unlocks everything, and no two nights, or people, leave the same.”

Planned aesthetic of a main play space at The Looking Glass. The Looking Glass/AMP Up1 Hospitality; via CP Group

The Looking Glass/AMP Up1 Hospitality; via CP Group

Construction on The Looking Glass is scheduled to begin immediately after 2026 FIFA World Cup festivities conclude in mid-July.

Plans call for it to debut in the second quarter of 2027, according to CP Group. It’ll be open from late mornings into the night, as created and operated by AMP Up1 Hospitality.

Guests can expect a choose-your-own-adventure experience with different “chapters” that “reward curiosity and remind people what it feels like to play again,” per the announcement. AMP Up1 Hospitality head Josh Rossmeisl called the concept “the defining project” of his 30-year career designing, opening, and operating entertainment venues and restaurants.

The Looking Glass/AMP Up1 Hospitality; via CP Group

The CTR officially opened to the public last week, featuring a refreshed roster of food-and-beverage tenants at an 11-concept food hall and what project leaders call the largest bar in Atlanta. Additional tenants in the pipeline include the region’s first Mastro’s Ocean Club.

CP Group officials say The CTR is building on momentum across downtown and giving people a reason to visit beyond sporting events and concerts.

CP Group’s more than 8-million-square-foot portfolio in Atlanta includes Piedmont Center, where a mixed-use revamp is underway, and Bank of America Plaza, the city’s tallest building.

Find more sneak peeks into The Looking Glass in the gallery above, and with this YouTube promo clip.

Below is a look from Sunday at how The CTR came together:

Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta