A new Civil Rights Museum celebrating Atlanta's place as a tourist spot for civil right history opens Monday June 23, 2014 in downtown Atlanta. The Center for Civil and Human Rights is close to Centennial Olympic Park, the World of Coke and the Georgia Aquarium.
The site of the museum is part of what is now called Pemberton Place, an area just north of Centennial Olympic Park that is also home to the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola. The exact location of the $75 million, 42,000-square-foot facility is the corner of Ivan Allen Boulevard and Centennial Olympic Park Drive. The land was donated by Coca-Cola. It will house papers of Martin Luther King Jr.
Also planned for the same area is the College Football Hall of Fame, which is moving to Atlanta from South Bend, Indiana, where it was adjacent to Notre Dame University.
Atlanta Civil Rights Museum at a glance
Hours: (Starting June 23, 2014) 10 a.m.-5 p.m. seven days a week.
Admission: $15; senior, student, educator, $13; children (3-12), $10; 2 and under, free; military (active and retired), free; military family: adult, $7.50; senior, $6.50; youth, $5.
Location: 100 Ivan Allen Jr. Blvd., Atlanta GA 30308.
Contact: 678-999-8990, www.civilandhumanrights.org.
Parking: Most customers will park at the Georgia Aquarium or at the World of Coke.
MARTA: Civic Center, Peachtree Center and Omni/CNN Stations.
Permanent collections: In addition to exhibition rights for the King papers (the papers are actually owned by Morehouse College), the center has seven portraits of human rights "heroes" by Atlanta painter Ross Rossin; a series of paintings of U.S. Rep. John Lewis by folk artist Benny Andrews; "Without Sanctuary," disturbing images of lynchings in America (many of them on postcards) collected by James Allen.
Cost: $75 million Size: 42,000 square feet
Museum Photos
Map: Where is the Museum?
Official web site
On MyAJC.com, our subscriber web site:
Go to MyAJC.com/civilrightscenter for complete, indepth coverage. Readers will find past and current coverage of the center and its exhibits and contributors, along with its cultural and economic impact in Atlanta. Our writers, photographers and media specialists explore and explain the significance of a museum in Atlanta dedicated to civil and human rights. Coverage will include updates on the opening and exclusive stories about the unsung heroes of the freedom movment, multimedia interactives and video walk-throughs of the center.
Guide to Atlanta Tourist Attractions and Atlanta Museums from the AJC: Find visitor information about the Martin Luther King Jr. Historic Site, Centennial Olympic Park,
NEXT PAGE: Take a photo tour of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. The museum offers visitors a history of the freedom movement in the United States (told from Atlanta's perspective) and an accounting of the modern human rights activism that civil rights pioneers inspired.
