Water Sculpture to Grace National Center for Civil and Human Rights
September 23,2013
A strikingly bold glass sculpture with flowing water will adorn Atlanta’s newest attraction, the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.
The two sweeping glass panels — rising 30 feet high — will contrast the design of the Center’s two walls, which will tower 72 feet high, and rise from a plaza at the corner of Ivan Allen Boulevard and Centennial Olympic Park Drive downtown.
The water sculpture will become the connecting focal point of the plaza sitting between the Center and downtown. Quotes from the civil and human rights movement will be etched into the two glass panels, and people will be able to be inspired by those words as they walk between the two.f
The water feature will open at the same time as the Center — on Memorial Day 2014. The Center is celebrating its “topping off” — when the building reaches its highest point — at a ceremony on Sept. 20. Leaders say construction is still on schedule despite this year’s record rains. Construction on the water feature will begin in early 2014.
The water feature was added to the design of the Center last year at the strong request of Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed. The city is a major investor in the project.
“My idea was that since the building is going to be iconic and unique in terms of the city, I wanted a water feature that was worthy of its design,” Reed said in an interview. “I’m going to continue to advocate for more water features in Atlanta.”
