A timeline and specific plans for the rebirth of downtown’s former CNN Center are coming into sharper focus, and as with investments from historic Broad Street to the Beltline’s southern reaches, a certain global soccer tournament is top of mind. 

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup less than a year away, commercial real estate developer CP Group this week spotlighted what it calls major construction progress at The Center, its remake of a 1.2-million-square-foot downtown landmark that housed CNN’s global headquarters for decades. 

According to CP Group officials, a renovation of The Center’s soaring, ground-level atrium is scheduled to finished construction and open in early 2026. Exactly when wasn’t specified, but project leaders say the space will be ready for global visitors when World Cup matches kick off in Atlanta in mid-June. 

A new rendering provided to Urbanize Atlanta depicts what’s now described as a food hall component, a wood-clad corridor linking the atrium to the street.  

Fresh rendering showing the expected look of The Center's food hall component. Courtesy of CP Group

Other upgrades are expected to finish sooner, by the end of 2025. Those include a new exterior “arrival experience” around the building, large-scale permanent art installations in collaboration with SCAD and others, and entryways turned into hubs of activity, per CP Group.  

Elsewhere, the first of three 12-story digital signs on the building has been installed. 

CP Group last month also launched a program called CTR Culture, in partnership with local arts and culture consultants ASHA Advisory, to help provide exposure for Atlanta arts, culture, and creative community storytelling. Grant applications for free ads on The Center’s towering billboards are due Aug. 31. 

CP Group, the city’s largest private owner of commercial office space, unveiled the general CNN Center redevelopment plans and rebrand in April last year. No specific tenants have been announced to date, but project heads in March did hint that “a confidential high-end restaurant tenant” had agreed to lease 10,000 square feet. 

The building’s multifaceted next iteration will encompass “global entertainment, best-in-class retail, and elevated dining options” alongside an “experiential hub of cultural and community-centered activity,” said Chris Eachus, a CP Group founding partner, in an announcement.  

“Hosting Club World Cup watch parties,” Eachus continued, “providing a platform for local artists, and supporting brand activation and film production opportunities are all ways we hope to engage Atlanta residents and catalyze the downtown experience.”

How The Center's revised atrium is expected to look and function in early 2026. Courtesy of CP Group; designs, TVS; ASD/SKY

A planned facet of The Center's atrium at CNN Center's former food court. Courtesy of CP Group; designs, TVS; ASD/SKY

Overall, CP Group’s renovations call for 130,000 square feet of retail space, alongside 920,000 square feet of creative office and media production spaces, officials have said. That will be part of a massive portfolio the Boca Raton, Fla.-based company has amassed in Atlanta in recent years that now includes Buckhead’s 14-building Piedmont Center, where significant upgrades are planned. 

CNN departed the downtown property last year and stripped off its branding as its offices were moved to Midtown’s Techwood. That ended a four-decade era of the media company being headquartered downtown.  

Have a closer look at the landmark property's planned revival in the gallery above. 

Courtesy of CP Group; designs, TVS; ASD/SKY

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