| Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Westin Peachtree in Downtown Atlanta | |
| Information | |
| Location | 210 Peachtree Street Atlanta, Georgia |
| Status | Complete |
| Constructed | 1976 |
| Height | |
| Antenna/Spire | unknown height |
| Roof | 723 feet (220 meters) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 73 |
| Companies | |
| Architect | John Portman and Associates |
| Owner | Westin Hotels |
The Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel is a skyscraper and hotel in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, on Peachtree Street adjacent to the Peachtree Center complex and the former Davison's/Macy's flagship store. It is 220 meters (723 feet) tall, and rises 73 stories from ground level. Its diameter is 188 ft (57 m). It is the second-tallest all-hotel skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere.[1]
Contents |
History
The first building on the site was the first official Georgia Governor's Mansion, a Victorian-style home purchased by the state in 1870 at the southwest corner of Peachtree Street and Cain Street (later International Boulevard, now Andrew Young International Boulevard). After housing 17 governors of Georgia (each limited to a single term of office) until 1921, it was demolished in 1923 for the Henry Grady Hotel, named for Atlanta Constitution newspaper journalist/magnate and philanthropist Henry W. Grady. That was in turn demolished for the current building.
Designed by developer/architect John Portman, the building gained landmark status within the city as Atlanta's tallest building from its completion, in 1976, to 1987 when it was overtaken by One Atlantic Center. The building opened as the tallest hotel in the world; in 1977, however, it was surpassed by its architectural twin, the central hotel tower of the Portman-designed Renaissance Center in Detroit. The Peachtree Plaza Hotel opened as the tallest building in the southeastern United States, surpassing One Shell Square in New Orleans. It lost that title in 1983, when the Wachovia Financial Center in Miami surpassed it.
The hotel was heavily featured in the 1981 film Sharky's Machine starring Burt Reynolds. Stuntman Dar Robinson, doubling for Henry Silva at the end of the film, dropped 220 feet (67 m) from what appeared to be the Westin Peachtree Plaza, setting a record for the highest freefall (unrestrained) jump from a building in a film. In actuality, however, the stunt scene was filmed at the nearby Hyatt Regency Hotel, using its shorter but similar cylindrically-shaped Radius Tower.
Architectual details
The building is cast in reflective glass in a cylindrical shape that reflects much of the downtown skyline (though each of the around 5600 windows is flat and not convex). Another small cylinder runs the full height of the building on one side, and accommodates two scenic elevators. The uppermost floors hold the Sun Dial Restaurant and Bar, a revolving restaurant that offers panoramic views of the city and its environs. The top floor of the restaurant completes a full revolution every 30 minutes, and the bottom every 60 minutes.
Broadcasting
Several local broadcasters have transmitted from an antenna mast atop the building, beginning when it became Atlanta's tallest, but declining since others have been built around it.
The original antenna once carried the signal of WUPA TV 69 from the time it first went on-air as WVEU, but that station moved because the Westin tower lacked space for an antenna to send the station's digital television signal. Two LPTV stations currently transmit from the top: analog WTBS-LP 26, and digital-only WTHC-LD 42.1.[2] As of 2009[update], WTBS-LP is moving to the Bank of America Plaza, from the same antenna as co-owned WANN-CA/WANN-LD, and possibly future digital WTBS-LD 30.
The main FM antenna (the four large elements seen at the top of the mast in both outdoor pictures on this page) recently belonged to WZGC FM 92.9 ("Dave FM"), while a smaller antenna still carries backup signals for that station and previously for WVEE FM 103.3 ("V-103"), both owned by CBS Radio. WWWQ FM 100.5 ("Q100", now WNNX FM "Rock 100.5") first used the same antenna when it moved to Atlanta, before it upgraded and relocated within the city, but it has since switched back. WSTR FM 94.1 ("Star 94") also shared the main FM antenna with 92.9 when it was originally installed, with the power from both stations' transmitters being combined into a single antenna through a diplexer. Both WSTR and WZGC still list this as their allotment location.[3]
There is also an XM Satellite Radio repeater.
2008 tornado
- See article: 2008 Atlanta tornado outbreak.
On March 14, 2008, the Westin, along with other neighboring skyscrapers, sustained moderate damage when a tornado tore through downtown Atlanta, with over 500 windows broken. It was the first tornado to have hit the downtown area.[4]
As of March 2009[update], the Westin is the only building still to have not replaced its broken windows, instead still being covered with black-painted plywood on the outside, and drywall on the inside. This is because the ¼-inch (6mm) uninsulated glass is no longer made by PPG Industries, and even identical new windows would look mismatched because of weathering due to three decades of hot sunshine. Additionally, new building codes require insulated glass that can withstand winds up to 90 miles per hour (145 km/h) instead of 75 miles per hour (121 km/h), necessitating heavier and more expensive glass. Replacement of all 5600 windows is expected to begin in June or July 2009 and continue from the top down until summer 2010 at a cost over 20 million dollars, which will be covered by insurance.[5][6] Until then, 81 of its 1068 rooms are unavailable, down from an initial 320.[7][8] The new windows will also be mirrored, but will feature a bronze tint.
See also
Notes and References
- ^ World's Tallest Hotels
- ^ FCC database for TV stations within 100m of this location
- ^ FCC database for FM stations within 100m of this location
- ^ Tornado Kills 2, Pummels Downtown by Tim Eberly and Paul Shea for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, March 15, 2008. Retrieved March 15, 2008.
- ^ Most of downtown’s tornado-damaged windows patched up Atlanta Journal-Constitution
- ^ Window pains: Glass on the way for Peachtree Plaza Atlanta Journal-Constitution
- ^ Drywall used in Westin's storm-damaged windows Atlanta Journal-Constitution
- ^ Westin Windows Still Boarded After March Tornado 11Alive.com
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel |
| Records | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by 2 Peachtree Street |
Tallest building in Atlanta 1976-1987 |
Succeeded by One Atlantic Center |
Coordinates: 33°45′34″N 84°23′19″W / 33.75943°N 84.38855°W
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
