Liberty Plaza (Atlanta)

Liberty Plaza is a public plaza in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, adjacent to the Georgia State Capitol. Completed in 2015, the 2.2-acre plaza is capable of holding over 3,000 people and has hosted numerous political demonstrations in Atlanta.

Liberty Plaza, with the Georgia State Capitol in the background. (2015)

History

The idea of a public greenspace near the Georgia State Capitol dates back to 1910, when a tree-lined boulevard approaching the capitol was proposed.[1] This proposal, an example of the City Beautiful movement, was made by Atlanta-based architect Haralson Bleckley and would have seen the Gulch capped by a broad civic plaza extending from the Capitol to Terminal Station.[2] This "Bleckley Plaza Plan" was rejected in 1916, and while it was revived in 1923, 1927, and 1930, all revivals were ultimately also rejected.[3] Other proposals made in 1927, 1932, and 1944 called for a square plaza to be built between the Capitol and Atlanta City Hall, but like the previous proposals, these never came to fruition.[4] Because of the lack of a plaza near the Capitol, most political demonstrations and inaugurations on the Capitol grounds were held near the western entrance of the Capitol on Washington Street, which often caused the road to be closed.[5][6] Speaking of the lack of a public plaza near the Capitol in 2014, former member of the Georgia State Senate George Hooks said, "Our Capitol has probably the smallest amount of green space of any Capitol I know of in the country.”[1]

Modern era

In 2008, Liberty Plaza was proposed as a public plaza located on the east side of the Capitol.[7] The plaza was approved in the Fall of 2013 by the Georgia Building Authority, with a cost of $4.4 million that was raised through the selling of unneeded government buildings.[1] With designs by architectural firm Stevens & Wilkinson, work on the plaza began on June 5, 2014 with the demolition of a 60-year-old parking garage just east of the Capitol.[1][8][9] Completed in 2015, the 2.2-acre public plaza includes an 8,000-square-foot grass lawn and is capable of holding over 3,000 people.[1][10][11] While Governor Nathan Deal had originally intended for his inauguration to be held at the newly constructed plaza on January 12, 2015,[12][13] bad weather forced the ceremony to take place inside the Capitol.[14] Several days later on January 16, Deal officially dedicated the plaza.[9][15] Deal also pledged that a statue of Martin Luther King Jr. would be constructed on the plaza.[9][16]

Demonstration venue

Notable demonstrations that have occurred at the plaza include the March for Our Lives in 2018, a climate strike in September 2019, and the 2020 Georgia March for Life.[17][18][19][20]

Controversy

In 2018, a Federal lawsuit was filed by organizers of the March for Our Lives alleging that the requests process for holding a protest on the grounds was unconstitutional. The process required any event held after normal business hours on the grounds to be sponsored by a Constitutional officer of the state, which the organizers stated was a violation of their First Amendment rights. While the organizers were initially unable to receive a sponsorship from any of the Constitutional officers (who at the time, they pointed out, were all Republicans), Governor Nathan Deal eventually agreed to sponsor the protest.[21][22][23] In response to this incident, the ACLU of Georgia sent a letter to the Georgia Building Authority (which operates the plaza) urging them to amend their policies regarding permits for holding political rallies and protests at the location.[24]

Statues and reproductions

The plaza houses model reproductions of the Liberty Bell and the Statue of Liberty that were previously held elsewhere on the Capitol grounds.[15][25] Surrounding the Liberty Bell is a ring of 13 state flags from the original Thirteen Colonies, as well as the U.S. flag and Liberty Plaza flag.[26][27] A statue of Martin Luther King Jr. overlooking the plaza was unveiled on August 28, 2017, the 54th anniversary of King's I Have a Dream speech.[28][29]

References
  1. Salzer 2014a.
  2. Morrison 2019, p. 45.
  3. Lands 2009, p. 68.
  4. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  5. Salzer 2014b.
  6. Williams 2015.
  7. Georgia Building Authority 2016.
  8. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 2014.
  9. Kelley 2015.
  10. Blau 2016.
  11. Salzer 2016.
  12. The Covington News 2014.
  13. Salzer 2015.
  14. Bluestein 2015a.
  15. Bluestein 2015b.
  16. WXIA-TV 2015.
  17. Martinez 2018.
  18. Ikeda 2019.
  19. Christian News Wire 2020.
  20. Pronechen 2020.
  21. Bluestein 2018a.
  22. Bluestein 2018b.
  23. Galloway 2018.
  24. American Civil Liberties Union 2018.
  25. Georgia Building Authority.
  26. Johnston 2015.
  27. Taylor 2020.
  28. Bluestein 2017.
  29. Wells 2017.

Bibliography

Further reading
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