Regarding news broadcasting, have you ever been curious about the place where it all happens? Let’s explore the CNN Center. It was once the global headquarters of CNN. This iconic building is in downtown Atlanta. It stands adjacent to Centennial Olympic Park.
For years, the CNN Center buzzed with activity. It housed the main newsrooms and studios for many CNN news channels. Various units of the former Turner Broadcasting System occupied its commercial office space. Now, it is part of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Originally, the CNN Center opened in 1976. It was known as the Omni International Complex. Cousins Properties developed it. Three years prior, the Omni Coliseum opened. It was an NBA and NHL arena next to the Omni International. In 1987, CNN moved its headquarters here. Before that, it was in Midtown Atlanta.
The building has changed hands over the years. In 1985, it was bought for $42 million. In 2021, CP Group acquired the One CNN Center office building.
The CNN Center provided office space to various businesses. It also housed foreign consulates. The main floor featured unique attractions. There was an indoor ice rink. People enjoyed a small number of restaurants. A Gold Mine video arcade provided entertainment. An indoor amusement park named The World of Sid and Marty Krofft was here. It was the first indoor theme park in the United States. However, it closed within six months. The complex also had a multi-screen movie theater. It regularly showed the 1939 film Gone with the Wind. Ted Turner considered it the greatest movie ever made.
The Omni Coliseum was imploded in 1997. This caused minor exterior window damage to the CNN Center. Philips Arena replaced the Omni Coliseum. It opened in 1999.
In 2020, CNN announced plans to move its Atlanta operations. They would return to the Turner Broadcasting Techwood campus. Production activities moved back in October 2023. The last of CNN’s domestic programs moved in February 2024.
CP Group announced renovations for the CNN Center in April 2024. It will be rebranded as “The Center”.
The CNN Center houses an Omni Hotel. It features a large atrium food court. Local business employees, tourists, and event attendees frequent it.
CNN’s multi-channel output was broadcast on large screens around the center. Until 2020, studio tours were available. They included demonstrations of technologies. Visitors could see chroma key and teleprompters. They could also visit viewing galleries overlooking the newsrooms.
The atrium escalator is famous. It was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. It is the longest freestanding escalator in the world. It measures 196 feet long. It was built for the theme park. It is part of the original structure.
MARTA provides rail service to the CNN Center. The GWCC/CNN Center station serves the building.
Today, the CNN Center is evolving. It is becoming a mixed-use destination. It will offer spaces to work, dine, watch, create, and celebrate. It will feature a modern indoor-outdoor setting. The building offers 920,000 square feet of space for lease. There is also 230,000 square feet of retail space.