Woodruff Park, named for Robert W. Woodruff, is located in the heart of downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The park's four acres are north of Edgewood Ave, between Peachtree Street NE and Park Place NE. The park includes two fountains, a performance pavilion, and several monuments. A bronze sculpture, Phoenix Rising from the Ashes, depicts a woman releasing a phoenix, a symbol of Atlanta because of the city's rise from the ashes after being burnt to the ground by William T. Sherman's Union armies during the Civil War.
History
The original four acres between Peachtree, Edgewood, Pryor (now Park Place) and the Candler Building were purchased anonymously by Mr. Woodruff then donated to the city in 1971 and the first incarnation of the park opened in 1973. It was popular with business people and the homeless, but that dynamic began to fall apart as downtown Atlanta deteriorated in the late 1970s. A massive renovation, partly funded by CDBG federal dollars, was begun that was initially to include an underground parking deck but ended up with surface changes and the addition of fountains which opened in 1983. As Georgia State University grew and interest in the upcoming 1996 Olympic Games increased, another renovation was begun in 1994. In 2000, Georgia State University restored operation of the large fountains and they continue to operate to the present day.
References
^ http://www.atlantadowntown.com/woodruffpark.asp ^ Rutheiser, Charles, Imagineering Atlanta, 1996, p.211-212
External links
- Woodruff Park is at coordinates Coordinates:
