Atlanta in 50 Objects
A pink pig and a renegade cow. A movie prop and a Coke bottle. A Pulitzer Prize–winning book and a Nobel Prize–winning icon.
How do you tell the story of Atlanta in 50 objects? We decided the best experts were Atlantans themselves—residents who cheer the Braves and rue I–285 rush-hour traffic, who understand how Civil War losses and Civil Rights victories together helped forge the city’s unique identity. Atlanta History Center asked the public to submit what objects they think best represent their town. The parameters were broad: an object could also be a person, a place, an institution, or an idea. After receiving hundreds of submissions, History Center staff assembled a collection of fifty pieces that represent the themes identified by the public. In addition to items from our own collections, we have partnered with many local institutions and individuals to gather artifacts from around the city to tell this community–driven story.
Fox Theater
The “Fabulous Fox,” Atlanta’s only remaining movie palace, opened on Christmas Day, 1929.
Located on Peachtree Street at Ponce de Leon Avenue, the Fox Theatre was commissioned by Atlanta’s Shriner’s Temple, but the elaborately ornate Moorish design proved too expensive for their budget and the Shriner’s leased the building to movie mogul William Fox.
Atlanta almost lost this opulent theater when the owners closed it in 1974 and Southern Bell planned to construct their headquarters on the site. A grass roots campaign to save the Fox raised $3 million to purchase the theater. The new, nonprofit organization, Atlanta Landmarks, took over management and led the restoration effort to return the building to its former glory.
Fox Theatre interior, 2015. Courtesy of Fox Theatre, Jonathan Phillips, photographer