Underground Atlanta, a historic landmark in the Five Points neighborhood, has long served as a polarizing stumbling block in the city’s history. From its beginnings as a railroad terminus to a buzzing entertainment center of the 1960s, Underground Atlanta’s unique design has kept its spirit alive despite many closures. As the city’s population continues to grow, the development of unused urban areas and repurposing of abandoned buildings remains imperative to meet the needs of a bustling city center’s demand for nightlife, restaurants, and entertainment venues. Underground Atlanta’s prime location near the Hotel District should ensure its success; so why has Underground struggled to meet these needs?
Today, developers plan to renovate and revitalize Underground Atlanta for the fourth time, attempting to reclaim its throne as the “place-to-be” for locals and tourists alike. This fits into Atlanta’s larger redevelopment plans to use underdeveloped regions for housing, entertainment, and retail near the city’s center. Building up the Gulch, near Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and other unbuilt areas will attract consumers to Underground by providing a space to hang out after events at the nearby Georgia World Congress Center and State Farm Arena. Developers hope to begin construction on Underground by the end of 2025. This rebranding and reopening of Underground Atlanta may solidify its importance to the city’s culture, entertainment, and pulse.
Atlanta’s Train Depot History
Before Atlanta became the juggernaut of the South, its humble beginnings emerged in 1837 as the town of Marthasville at the end of the Western and Atlantic Railroad. Originally named for the governor’s daughter, the town quickly gained the nickname “Terminus” to indicate the end of the railroad. Shortly after, residents renamed the town “Atlanta,” the feminine version of “Atlantic,” also in reference to the railroad.
During the Civil War, Atlanta became the principal railroad station for the Confederate Army due to its ability to connect the west and east ends of the Confederacy. In addition, the city quickly began developing foundries, ammunition factories, and other businesses to support the war. By the height of the war, its population had almost doubled, leading to monumental industrial growth. In 1864, Atlanta became the second most important city in the Confederacy behind the capital Richmond, Virginia, because of the train system’s importance to distribution and strategy of the Confederacy.
Near the end of the Civil War, Sherman’s troops overpowered the Confederate’s efforts to keep control of the city during the Battle of Atlanta. Without the connecting railroads in Atlanta, the Confederacy quickly crumbled due to a lack of supplies and transportation. The civilian populations returned shortly after and began the restoration process. By 1868, the rebuilt city of Atlanta replaced Milledgeville as the capital of Georgia.
During the reconstruction period, the area around the Underground became a busy retail district with shops like the Fulton Market Company and Birmingham Packing Company. These stores existed on Alabama Street, which currently intersects the Underground Atlanta historic district. Part of the reconstruction included building viaducts over the rail system to accommodate automobiles. The viaducts, completed in the 1920s, covered the old storefronts creating basements and tunnels below the streets. But as businesses expanded at street level, the tunnels crumbled into ruin, resulting in the abandonment of the “city beneath the streets” until rediscovery years later.
The Creation of Underground Atlanta
In the late 1960s, the forgotten tunnels resurfaced as restaurants, nightclubs, and storefronts with the official name of Underground Atlanta. Before this, walls surrounded the forgotten underpass as it continued to decay. During its first run as a center for entertainment and retail, over 65 businesses opened in the tunnels, creating a booming tourist destination and mall. Lester Maddox, the 75th governor of Georgia, even had his own souvenir shop in Underground’s mall. After just five years of operation, total sales of the mall reached a peak and then quickly began to plunge. The once popular business spot lost over half of its tenants by 1980.
So, how did a popular hang-out in a growing city fail so quickly? A study conducted by Hammer, Siler, George Associates discovered that an economic recession, growth of suburbia, and a fear of crime contributed to its demise. Others, like the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, suggested underage drinkers and counterfeit sales disrupted business, creating an unpleasant experience with consumers. Furthermore, the expansion of the east-west MARTA line effectively disconnected half of the property considered to be Underground Atlanta. Today, problems such as these still exist, especially as consumers remain wary of urban crime.
By 1982, Underground Atlanta officially closed. Its closure meant less state revenue from tourist attractions since Atlanta did not have other comparable entertainment options downtown at the time. To compete with other major cities in the United States, downtown Atlanta needed an entertainment hub to bring businesses, conventions, and major touring acts to the city.
In the same year of Underground’s closure, Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young prepared a new plan to revitalize the area. A study endorsed by the mayor recommended the city redevelop Underground Atlanta, which local citizens supported; however, most public officials did not support the plan. By 1985, a private group of businessmen supporting the plan formed Underground Festival Development, Inc., which lobbied the mayor to set the project in motion through funding and other resources. This led to the eventual agreement from Mayor Young to kick off the project.
However, the Georgia Supreme Court blocked the project because citizens of Fulton County did not have the opportunity to vote on funding approval for the project. After months of waiting, citizens approved the city to continue their plan, and the revival of Underground Atlanta began once again.
The 1990s represented a new era for Underground Atlanta: The redevelopment project expanded Underground into almost six city blocks, much larger than the previous area. Restaurants, historical attractions, and shopping brought in consumers during the day, while nightclubs and bars lured a younger crowd at night. This new design, cultivated in the rich diversity of Atlanta, aimed to gather crowds of all ages and interests. For example, the original World of Coke once lived between the streets of Underground and the Georgia State Capitol. Street performers ran unfettered through Kenny’s Alley, Underground’s main corridor, creating a vibrant and playful atmosphere within a newly, tightly managed environment.
In contrast to the first Underground, the city ramped up security measures, adding a police station to the premises. Better lighting along walkways, corridors, and restrooms helped address crime concerns. Within the first year of business, projections showed patronage exceeded the predictions, mostly accounted for by tourists. Even with the long approval process, the redevelopment garnered success.
Important historical events also took place at Underground. For instance, the announcement of the city’s bid for the 1996 Centennial Olympics occurred at the site. Celebratory measures, like pep bands, filled Kenny’s Alley as the city began preparations to host the biggest competition in the world. Throughout the Olympics, Underground provided a gathering spot for celebration and community between events.
Before the Olympics, the site hosted Freaknik, a spring break party hosted by students of local historically black colleges and universities downtown. While Freaknik had a historic run during the 1980s and 1990s, seeing thousands of people annually, it experienced short-lived success; city leaders imposed more restrictions on the spring break party by increasing police presence and limiting accessibility until it eventually ceased altogether. Nevertheless, Underground Atlanta proved its potential to bring exciting events to the city as Atlanta grew into the powerhouse of the South.
While the “city beneath the streets” served as a retail and event center, it also saw social protest. In 1991, a trail starting at Underground Atlanta and ending at the birthplace of Martin Luther King Jr. on Auburn Avenue named “Freedom Walk” opened. The 1.2-mile trail featured 24 landmarks, and on the opening day, marchers gathered at Underground to walk the trail to the MLK Center in honor of the activist and social justice.
Furthermore, riots in response to the police brutality of Rodney King in 1992 led to an eventual curfew restriction on the area due to property damage. The city repaired these damages before the Olympics, but dilapidation throughout the early 2000s forced merchants to leave the property. The tunnels of the lower-level mall finally closed in 2016.
In more recent years, the upper level of Underground has served as the headquarters for social dissent. In 2017, after the complete closure of Underground, protesters used the abandoned property as the gathering spot for the Atlanta March for Social Justice and Women. In 2023, “Stop Cop City” used Underground as the peaceful base of the movement before demonstrations quickly turned violent downtown. Overall, the versatility of the property further cements the Underground as quintessential to Atlanta’s entertainment and socio-political culture.
The Masquerade moves to Underground Atlanta
After Underground’s closure in 2017, the Masquerade — a popular music venue in Atlanta — relocated to Underground from the historic Dupre Excelsior Mill and became the first and only tenant in Underground. The Masquerade has greatly impacted Atlanta’s music scene, hosting a diverse range of genres including alternative, EDM, and rap. Currently, they book four venues of varying sizes with capacities of up to 1500 persons, providing an intimate concert experience with a mix of local and nationally recognized touring groups. The unique design of Underground Atlanta smoothly transitioned the old Masquerade to the new, properly capturing the free spirit of the music venue.
An open-air courtyard acts as the lobby, providing a communal experience before visitors enter their specific concert venue. Around the corner, street access to public transportation makes it easy for patrons to commute to the venue. In the past, the Masquerade has hosted many music festivals, such as Shaky Knees and the first-ever Warped Tour. As the concert hall continues to grow in Underground Atlanta, more festivals and events will likely follow. Alex Le, a casual concert-goer and Georgia State University student, stated that “Underground allows for more “pop-up space” for mobile [and] remote businesses to shortly rent a space during events,” which creates more revenue opportunities for hosts.
Proximity to Georgia State University allows students to hang around the concert venue between classes. Le explained that “[he] goes to shows often” at the Masquerade. His favorite aspects of the venue include “the intimacy” and “organization of it.” Not many other concert halls can boast the outdoor aspect that both separates and joins the crowds gathering for different shows.
“Music plays a massive role in the culture growing in Atlanta, and Underground historically provided a central location of commerce and art,”
“Music plays a massive role in the culture growing in Atlanta, and Underground historically provided a central location of commerce and art,” Le stated, perpetuating the idea of community experience in live music. In terms of collaboration with the university, Le mentioned that “Underground definitely provides an opportunity outside of our own campus to network and interact with people of similar interests and different backgrounds.” For example, Album 88 — a radio station run solely by students — frequently partners with the Masquerade. Le believes that these partnerships will bring more student engagement with Underground, suggesting that “student commerce [plays] a significant role [in] the growth of downtown Atlanta.”
With the new redevelopment plan, Underground Atlanta continues to lease spaces and improve the consumer experience. Similarly to the 1980s, security and safety remain a concern for visitors, especially as larger crowds gather. Regarding future improvements to the area, Le said his main concerns are the security of the Underground and the nearby Five Points MARTA station. Not only do these areas potentially present a risk to visitors, but they also fuel widespread crime fears identified during the 1990s redevelopment plan.
“There’s a large population of displaced and homeless people as well,” Le stated. The homelessness crisis in Atlanta has only grown in recent years, contributing to fears of downtown. With the redevelopment of this area, Le wishes “to see [them] relocated to better, safer places or at least recognized and cared for.” He also highlighted interest in seeing “how the Atlanta government will handle the homeless crisis in the downtown area,” as redevelopment of neighboring properties begins.
Underground Atlanta: Looking Ahead
The future of Underground Atlanta shines brightly as the property undergoes redevelopment and reimagination. After the complete closure in 2017, Lalani Ventures, a local investment company, bought the property from the previous developer WRS in 2020. The current owner has big plans to bring life back to the property while preserving the culture embedded in Underground.
David Tracht, the senior vice president of development for Lalani Ventures, spoke optimistically about the appeal of Underground. As for the current state of Underground, Tracht stressed a heavy emphasis on “reactivation of the property [and] bringing people back,” currently executed through monthly events, art exhibits, and grand openings. Before the purchase of Underground by Lalani Ventures, the only leased space belonged to the Masquerade, presenting a clean slate to reshape the landscape of Underground.
The Masquerade brought three venues to Underground: Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory. The concert hall expects to host approximately 700 shows by the end of 2024 — around 100 more than in previous years. Along with this massive feat, the Masquerade opened a fourth venue called “Altar” in the spring of 2024, further expanding its hold on Kenny’s Alley. In the future, Tracht hopes to open a fifth venue for food and beverage. By the end of 2024, touring acts such as Drug Church, Destroy Boys, Panchiko, State Champs, and Black Flag will grace the halls of the Masquerade and Kenny’s Alley.
Aside from the business and crowds produced by the Masquerade, Underground Atlanta still needs to appeal to other populations. To foster attraction, Lalani Ventures reopened the premises in the fall of 2021 with “The Art of Banksy: Without Limits,” a traveling exhibit dedicated to the street-style art of Banksy, including murals, prints, graffiti, and immersive installations. The exhibit started its North American tour in Underground, the perfect cultural setting to appreciate the artist’s urban style. In conjunction with this event, Lalani Ventures partnered with other local artists to fill the pedestrian corridor of Lower Alabama Street with art. These spaces, a love letter to Atlanta’s many talented artists, now act as exhibits, galleries, and performance areas near the Fountain Plaza, Underground’s main entrance.
Since Lalani Ventures took over, Underground has hosted other big events like Atlanta Fashion Week, an event focused on innovative fashion and fostering relationships between up-andcoming brands. In 2023, Red Bull Unlocked showcased Atlanta’s best nightclubs, bars, and restaurants in a pop-up style event including performing artists such as Waka Flocka Flame.
A main goal of the Underground Atlanta development project includes keeping the diverse community alive. According to Tracht, such events provide a “collision of all these different people in all of Atlanta,” a vital component of Lalani Venture’s current leasing process. Providing a space where all belong remains utterly important: “That’s the kind of underpinning in the foundation of whatever redevelopment plan we have,” said Tracht.
In terms of building, reconstruction has started in five areas of the property. In September of 2024, the city granted approval for a mixed-income residential tower. Reconstruction plans for the pedestrian corridor on Alabama Street also exist, an area that would benefit from renovation. “There’s this great opportunity to create a pedestrian scale retail and beverage experience along Upper Alabama,” Tracht mentioned, emphasizing plans to refresh storefronts, landscaping, and lighting along this passage.
For skeptics who have lived through the many closures of Underground Atlanta, Tracht stated, “We [have] to change the narrative around downtown.” Much of the criticism around urban areas centers on a lack of compassion for those struggling with addiction, mental health, and homelessness. Tracht said the care we extend to these populations can transform the perception of downtown. In the coming years, events such as the World Cup and Super Bowl LXII will arrive in Atlanta, and preparation for these events includes housing plans for those in need. Other developers in the area plan to build and convert properties to provide more housing in conjunction with the residential tower plan for Underground.
“We [have] to change the narrative around downtown.”
As of now, Underground opens every day at 6 PM. Tracht said, “There are events happening every week here, across multiple nights per week,” such as First Friday, a recurring festival every first Friday of the month. The festival showcases the arts in all media forms such as poetry, film, and visual arts like photography, sculpture, and paintings, complete with food vendors and a live DJ. In the near future, more late-night eateries and bars will open. The nightclub Insomnia will open along Central Avenue, a perimeter street of the complex. Other avenues include opening gaming-centric establishments along Kenny’s Alley and Pryor Street, which cuts through the middle of Underground. Also, Lalani Ventures wants to create a relationship between Underground and Georgia State University to keep the creative, youthful energy of the space alive.
As far as success goes, Tracht said that event-based redevelopment can reignite the intrigue around Underground. “We’re excited for this next wave of tenants to open up,” he said, mentioning the enthusiasm expected with these new openings. Even with challenges in the Five Points neighborhood, development continues in Underground Atlanta and other historic districts to meet the needs of the growing city.
