Atlanta Development Threatens Modernist Buildings

"In metro Atlanta and around the state, modernist buildings erected from the 1950s to the 1970s -- from featureless slab skyscrapers to wacky cylindrical bank branches â€" are quickly succumbing to the wrecking ball."

"The demise of the architecturally cool, the curious and the offbeat is driven by several factors, say a small group of architects and preservationists. Among them: Atlanta's condo craze and the hunger for prime real estate it creates, especially in Midtown and downtown, and decay (many of the structures are approaching 50)."

Many locals and in-town development boosters see the clearing of non-descript modernist buildings as a sign of progress. But fans of the style fret that Atlanta may one day regret destroying its eclectic mix of modern architectural history.