Welcome to Centennial Olympic Park

Welcome to Centennial Olympic Park. . It is hard to believe that in 1993 this magnificent, 22-acre urban oasis was a dilapidated section of downtown Atlanta. Billy Payne, chief executive of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG), spent hours gazing from his nearby office balcony at empty lots and abandoned buildings. He soon envisioned a beautiful gathering space for visitors and residents during the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games, and for years to come. , In early 1995, the master plan for the Park was unveiled and, just months later, a wrecking ball smashed into the Genuine Parts Company's Beck and Gregg building to mark the beginning of construction for Centennial Olympic Park. To help fund building of the Park, ACOG sold engraved bricks that would serve as pathways inside the Park. In the most successful program of its kind, nearly 500,000 commemorative bricks were sold. , The Park is much more than a legacy to the 1996 Summer Olympic Games and a catalyst for Atlanta's downtown revitalization efforts. Today, Centennial Olympic Park anchors a thriving entertainment and hospitality district spurring billions of dollars of economic impact. , The Park is a private venue operated and maintained by Georgia World Congress Center Authority and receives no funding from the State.