Terminus Gallery
In collaboration with Bud Shenefelt, City of Atlanta 72 Marietta Street Redesign Competition
In 1836, the Georgia General Assembly voted to build a railroad to provide a trade route to the Midwestern United States, and its terminus was chosen in 1837. In 1839, homes and a store were built there and by 1842, the settlement – named Terminus – had six buildings and 30 residents. By 1854, rail lines had arrived from four different directions, making the young town the rail hub for the entire Southern United States.
The City, now named Atlanta, has grown to 5.2 million people making it the 9th largest city in the USA. It is home to the busiest airport in the world, continuing the tradition of centralized transit and commerce.
Atlanta is also home to the Railroad Model Club of Atlanta, set up just down the street at 487 1/2 Edgewood Ave since 1946. For 65 years, this train system has been maintained by a devoted following. The plan of which is similar in size and proportion to the old Atlanta Journal Constitution Lobby at 72 Marietta St.
We have taken The Club's devotion to trains and Atlanta’s own history with the railroad, old and new, as our inspiration. Rails are embedded into a back-lit ceiling. We have created a fully flexible environment, , a place defined by a simple concept and overlaid with a narrative of a long history of transit in Atlanta. We call it the Terminus Gallery.
