Georgia State University’s (GSU) longtime plans to overhaul Hurt Park — a downtown green space since 1940 — are underway. Fencing at Hurt Park went up at the end of August announcing the renovations and as of mid-November, construction had already begun. Nearly all of the paved walkways have been demolished and the fountain at the park’s center has been covered in orange fabric fencing, according to GSU’s The Signal. The plan is to repair the fountain and redo the park’s paved paths.
It’s unclear when the renovation will be complete or what the final product will look like, but GSU planners have been looking to overhaul Hurt Park — which sits at the center of the university — since at least 2016. Renovating the green space is part of a master development plan by GSU which currently entails two other key projects: a new convocation center, and a greenway and library addition. Across from Hurt Park, the 18-story 100 Edgewood tower is currently undergoing a $45 million redo that will welcome tenants in April 2021.
Architecture firm Cooper Robertson a year ago shared the vision for GSU’s master development plans with Curbed Atlanta and later said the plans — including the renderings in this article — were premature. It did, however, offer a glimpse of what a revamped Hurt Park could look like.
“The release of renderings of a potential campus master plan for Georgia State University was premature and described a plan that has not been reviewed, discussed, or approved by the university administration,” the firm said this time last year. “…It also warrants noting that the renderings are preliminary, highly conceptual initial ideas and do not necessarily represent the direction the university may ultimately take with the master plan.” So far, Cooper Robertson’s released plans are coming to fruition in terms of work underway.
