My husband will tell you that in the 20 plus years he has lived in Atlanta there have been five (5) stadiums for our baseball team (The Atlanta Braves) and our football team (The Atlanta Falcons).

First, there was the Atlanta Fulton County Stadium.  An open air arena home to both teams.  When baseball and football season overlapped, it wasn’t unusual to see the baseball diamond outlined in the middle of the football field.

 

Then, along came the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games and the first transformation took place.  The Braves went one way to a new home at Turner (aka The Ted) Field which was built for the Olympics next to Atlanta Fulton County Stadium.   After the Olympics were over, Turner Field was closed in and officially made “The Home of the Braves” and the Atlanta Fulton County Stadium was soon demolished, leaving only the back wall which marked the famous home run of “Hank Aaron.”

 

And, while the Braves were settling into their new home, the Atlanta Falcons made their way up I-75 to the Georgia Dome (the 3rd stadium if you’re counting).  Which, at the time it was built was a state of the art indoor arena.  When it opened I remember working on a sweepstakes with the local Atlanta Coca-Cola Bottler called “Roam the Dome.”  If you won, then you would be one of the first to tour the Georgia Dome before they officially opened the doors to the public.

 

But, alas just as the Braves are in the midst of building a new home at SunTrust Park (stadium number 4) so are the Falcons building their new home at Mercedes stadium…….right….next door to their current home.

Curious to see what is so special about having a new football stadium (#5) I took a drive around it the other day.  Of course, like other areas of the city there are cranes everywhere hovering over the construction zones like giant erector sets.

The old can be seen reflecting off the side of the new building.  An eerie reminder that it will soon fall to the hands of a wrecking ball.

 

 

I will say, though, that the new architecture is quite impressive with various shapes and angles.

Despite the fact that so many stadiums have come and gone in the past 20+ years, it’s still great to see the growth and progress this city continues to make.  And, if you can navigate your way around the multiple construction zones and road closures it’s still a wonderful place to live and call “home.”