Underground Atlanta

At the point where two covered shopping malls now meet (Alabama St., between Peachtree St. and Central Ave.) there once stood the terminus of the Western and Atlantic Railroad, the nucleus of the present city. During the Civil War there was an assembly point for wounded here. Since 1865 this area has lain below the present street level. For many years it was hidden and forgotten; then in the 1980s, when its possibilities were realised, it was restored in period (1880-1900) style and reopened in 1989. The underground passages, enlivened by musicians, entertainers and street traders, are now occupied by restaurants and over a hundred shops and boutiques.