Renovations, New Brand Campaign for Colony Square Unveiled

ATLANTA, GA -- After nearly 200 interviews and five months of seeking the community’s input, North American Properties (NAP) and local branding firm Imbibe announced Colony Square's new branding campaign is being entitled "Urbane."

NAP has hired New York City-based Beyer Blinder Belle in collaboration with Atlanta-based Lord Aeck Sargent as the architectural design team.

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Beyer Blinder Belle has worked to rebrand buildings and sites such as Grand Central Terminal, Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, Lincoln Center and the World Trade Center. The firm will bring its urban design team to Colony Square to transform Atlanta’s original mixed-use project into a more modern destination.

“The renewal of Colony Square represents an extraordinary opportunity to create a charismatic and welcoming public place at the heart of a growing neighborhood, on the corner of ‘Main and Main’ Atlanta,” said Richard Metsky, partner at Beyer Blinder Belle. “The design concept supports the ongoing transformation of Midtown into a vibrant commercial, retail, residential and cultural district.”

According to Metsky, a central challenge is to soften the hard edges and seemingly impenetrable buildings that make circulation through the complex difficult. The strategy is to dissolve the barriers between Colony Square and the adjacent community by creating visual connections - from the outside in and inside out - that will reinforce connectivity and promote an engaging pedestrian experience.

Lord Aeck Sargent will collaborate with Beyer Blinder Belle to bring local expertise and historical perspective to the project.

“Colony Square’s mid-century modern architecture is an important contribution to the real estate history of Atlanta and the Southeast,” said Jack Pyburn, principal and director of the Historic Preservation practice area at Lord Aeck Sargent. “NAP’s commitment to Colony Square is an opportunity to build on the special qualities of the complex to create an exceptional central gathering glace for the surrounding community.”

“Currently, people describe Colony Square with words like ‘boring,’ ‘lots of concrete’ and ‘dated,’” said Ben Friedman, founder of Imbibe. “The brand we’ve built reflects Colony Square’s dynamic future – a 24/7 foodie and shopping mecca activated with events, retailers, restaurants and cultural experiences.”

NAP has already begun incubating a few design concepts. The team recently installed the MIDTOWN letters, anchoring the corner of Peachtree and 15th Streets. The community has embraced the new icon, sharing photos with the letters using the hashtag #IAmMidtown.

There are plans underway to reimagine the space facing Peachtree Street near the MIDTOWN letters into a pop-up restaurant with garden lights and outdoor seating. A well-know restaurateur is developing a new concept for the chef-driven eatery.

Images: Colony Square