Things Go Better With Atlanta's Reborn Candler Building
As the founder of the Coca-Cola Company, Asa Griggs Candler thought big. In 1904, he began building a high-rise that became the tallest in Atlanta upon its completion two years later.
The Candler Building’s 17 stories were clad in Amicalola marble from northern Georgia, and sculptor F.B. Miles oversaw intricate carvings inside and out. The luxurious property held offices for Coca-Cola and the Central Bank & Trust (also founded by Candler) as well as steam baths and a hair salon.
The Candler continued to serve as an office building for decades after Candler’s death in 1929, but a few years ago its owner, REM Associates, decided to convert it into a hotel. Now called the Candler Hotel, the rehabilitated building reopened in October of 2019 as part of the Curio Collection by Hilton and a member of Historic Hotels of America, a program of the National Trust.
The $85 million project was partly funded by federal historic tax credits supported by the National Trust Community Investment Corporation, and state historic tax credits. Much of the National Register-listed building remains intact—including the marble exterior, two Tiffany windows, the main staircase, and crystal chandeliers.
The hotel’s restaurant, By George, is named after the original architect, George E. Murphy, and his assistant, George Stewart. “It’s a homage to the architecture and design of the property,” says Martin Wormull, the Candler’s general manager.
photo by: The Candler Hotel
