Opera, theater and film will find a new home at a historic golf landmark in Buckhead.
The Atlanta Opera this week announced a $45 million renovation and expansion of the Greek Revival showpiece that served for years as the Bobby Jones Golf Course clubhouse. Reminiscent of "Gone With the Wind's" Tara, the clubhouse was abandoned several years ago when the Bobby Jones course, dating back to the 1930s, was converted into a reversible nine-hole layout.
Located on Woodward Way near a wealthy neighborhood, the clubhouse site sits along the not yet fully developed Beltline, which might receive mass transit in the future.
Under the plan, the expanded complex will house a 200-seat recital hall for concerts and theater, a film studio, rehearsal and education space, a library and administrative offices.
However, the Atlanta Opera will continue performing at the Cobb County Galleria Center, with no future plans to build a major opera house. Several years ago, the company abandoned a lagging fund-raising campaign for an opera venue at Woodward Arts Center.
The Opera's renovated clubhouse will be another jewel for the area. Nearby are the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame and museum, a lavish putting green, the renovated Bobby Jones golf complex, Bitsy Grant Tennis Center and the popular Boone's Restaurant.
A busy walking trail winds through Memorial Park, site of the bloody battles of Peachtree Creek and Tanyard Creek during the Civil War.
With the World Cup and other major sports competitions, the growth of Ga. Tech and other universities in starting and attracting high-tech businesses, and ambitious projects to revive downtown, Atlanta's cruising into a new era as an international city.
Yet, as columnist Maria Saporta recently pointed out in her Saporta Report, an essential source of Atlanta news, Georgia and Atlanta fall short in supporting the arts, for which Georgia ranks last in per capita spending.
Chastising Atlanta's futile campaign to attract the Sundance Film Festival, Saporta called for the city to increase arts funding and establish a department devoted to culture.
For years, Atlanta arts institutions have depended on wealthy private donors and the contributions of regular arts supporters to make up for insufficient public funding.
A revitalized commitment to the arts will raise Atlanta to new heights.
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