The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s main center for operations is once again within the limits of its namesake city.
Reporters, editors and other staff moved Monday into the AJC’s relocated newsroom and studio at Promenade Central along Peachtree Street in Midtown. The roughly 21,000-square-foot office, which bears the AJC’s masthead on the outside, is a pivotal move for Georgia’s newspaper of record, which left its longtime downtown offices 14 years ago for the northern suburbs.
“The AJC’s new home, in the heart of Midtown, is a manifestation of our commitment to the city of Atlanta and the community we serve,” Publisher and President Andrew Morse said. “It’s appropriate for us to be back in the heart of the city as we continue to transform the AJC.”
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
The news organization announced in February it would move to 1200 Peachtree St. NE, near the Woodruff Arts Center and Colony Square.
The AJC and its predecessors — the Atlanta Constitution and Atlanta Journal — operated bustling newsrooms in downtown Atlanta for 140 years. The AJC moved from its location at 72 Marietta St. after the Great Recession, opting to relocate to Dunwoody near the campus of its parent company, Cox Enterprises. The Marietta Street building was donated to the city in 2010.
Kevin Green, president and CEO of the Midtown business and civic group Midtown Alliance, said the AJC’s return puts its leaders and reporters in the thick of the bustling metro it aims to cover.
“This new Peachtree Street location places the AJC newsroom and studio at street level and close to the community shaping Atlanta and the South,” he said. “We can think of no better place to create the future of the news industry.”
Morse, a former CNN executive who joined the AJC in early 2023, has overseen a new wave of editorial and newsroom investment meant to broaden readership and more thoroughly cover the capital of the South.
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
Morse has laid out substantial goals for the AJC to grow its paid digital subscriber base to 500,000 by the end of 2026. That effort involves adding journalists, placing editorial staff in cities around Georgia and launching new products dedicated to sports, Black culture, food and politics, as well as investments in both audio and video programming.
“It was time for the AJC to be back in the heart of this dynamic city,” Morse said. “We hope our new newsroom and studio will attract leaders, thinkers, innovators and creators from across Atlanta who want to tell their stories.”
Built in 1989 for AT&T, Promenade Central also served as the Atlanta regional offices of Norfolk Southern before the railroad company relocated near Georgia Tech’s Technology Square. Current Promenade Central tenants include Visa, architecture firm TVS and consulting firm Kimley-Horn. Atlanta-based Cousins Properties owns and manages the building and has significantly renovated the premises in recent years.
Green said the AJC’s office relocation adds to the recovery of Midtown’s office market following the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. About 34% — more than a third — of Midtown’s office square footage was available to rent at the end of September, according to data services firm CBRE, but Green said there are positive signs of Midtown’s workplace recovery.
“The AJC’s relocation underscores the inherent strength of office markets like Midtown, which thrive in amenity-rich, walkable areas well-served by transit,” he said.
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