The three tallest buildings, from left to right, are the work of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Johnson/Burgee Architects and Atlanta's own John Portman, whose iconic Peachtree Plaza Hotel stands 723 feet above the street. Floors 72 and 73 are a revolving lounge and restaurant, which I was fortunate to visit in 1977, a year after its opening. Then bead curtains hanged from the ceiling and appeared to be swaying that stormy day. They were in fact hanging plumb while the building gently swayed as it was designed to do. More violent gyrations attended the 2008 tornado strike downtown, when its arc was estimated to have reached two feet. Our city's graceful cylindrical tower stands proudly today, fresh from a $20 million makeover that included new, stronger windows. Here are some memories from the party Atlanta Magazine threw to celebrate this renewal.
