It's OFFICIAL! Civil rights center to be built in downtown Atlanta! (Auburn: condo, employment)

[Atlantasfinest]

Centennial Park site picked for civil rights center | ajc.com (http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2008/09/15/civil_rights_museum.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_news tab - broken link)

Officials involved with the proposed Center for Civil and Human Rights announced Monday they will build the facility downtown on 2.5 acres of land donated by Coca-Cola near Centennial Olympic Park — between the World of Coke and the Georgia Aquarium.

The highly anticipated announcement comes three years after civil rights icons such as former Atlanta mayor Andrew Young and U.S. Rep. John Lewis [D-Atlanta] approached Mayor Shirley Franklin about the idea. The center will honor the struggles and achievements of civil and human rights movements since Reconstruction.

The center is expected to draw 650,000 visitors a year, create 1,150 jobs and add $1.1 billion to Georgia’s economy over the next 10 years, according to backers.

Construction is scheduled to start in 2009 and be completed in 2010 at a cost estimated between $100 million and $125 million.

Some had suggested Auburn Avenue as a possible location, citing its historic significance to the African-American community.


Sitting between the Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola should guarantee The Civil Rights Musuem the maximum exposure It deserves... Any comments?

[NYCtotheATL]

I think it's a great idea! It'll bring money to the city as well as pay tribute to those who struggled for equality. Now, let's hope they can keep it within the budget they laid out!!!

[gt6974a]

Originally Posted by Atlantasfinest

The center is expected to draw 650,000 visitors a year, create 1,150 jobs and add $1.1 billion to Georgia’s economy over the next 10 years, according to backers.

I bet it's in financial trouble by the second year.

[onemanarmy]

Think it's a great idea, hopefully it will fulfill it's purpose, and it will be in a great area, within walking distance from my condo.

[vsmoove]

Sounds like a great idea... hopefully it's well done like the Holocaust Museum... good location as well...

[PeteyNice]

How will this be different from the MLK stuff east of downtown? I am all for having more attractions downtown but this seems to be recreating what we already have and the traffic will cannibalize itself.

[BobKovacs]

I think their math is a little fuzzy at best. $1.1 billion over ten years works out to $110 million/year on average- if you divide that by the 650,000 visitors they're expecting per year, that's an average ticket of $169/person. I doubt very highly that most folks are going to drop $170 on a ticket, meals, shopping, etc. while visiting a civil rights museum. I'm also suspect of the 650,000 attendance expectation as well- now that the aquarium has been around for a few years, it's drawing around 2.2 million visitors per year- are you really going to try and tell me that this museum is going to draw even 1/4 of the aquarium's visitors (which I'd bet is how they calculated the 650k- it's exactly 25% of the aquarium's attendance.....)???

[michael1978]

I think this is a duplicate of the King Center.

Also, if they are going to build it, it should have been near the King Center.

I hope that this focuses on ALL civil and human rights, not just those of blacks. It should incorporate everybody, including Native Americans.

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by BobKovacs

I think their math is a little fuzzy at best. $1.1 billion over ten years works out to $110 million/year on average- if you divide that by the 650,000 visitors they're expecting per year, that's an average ticket of $169/person. I doubt very highly that most folks are going to drop $170 on a ticket, meals, shopping, etc. while visiting a civil rights museum. I'm also suspect of the 650,000 attendance expectation as well- now that the aquarium has been around for a few years, it's drawing around 2.2 million visitors per year- are you really going to try and tell me that this museum is going to draw even 1/4 of the aquarium's visitors (which I'd bet is how they calculated the 650k- it's exactly 25% of the aquarium's attendance.....)???

I think you're calculation is flawed. When a project talks about economic impact, that includes the "multiplier effect" on the economy. The money invested has a ripple effect and the economic impact is greater than the money invested, as employment increases, tax collections increase, etc. An example would be people who come downtown to go to the museum and have lunch and dinner, and possibly make other purchases while they're downtown. The employees hired to serve those meals and staff the increased demand now have income to spend and taxes to pay. They spend their money and create new demand that is met by increased employment in other areas.

[GF72]

Originally Posted by BobKovacs

I think their math is a little fuzzy at best. $1.1 billion over ten years works out to $110 million/year on average- if you divide that by the 650,000 visitors they're expecting per year, that's an average ticket of $169/person. I doubt very highly that most folks are going to drop $170 on a ticket, meals, shopping, etc. while visiting a civil rights museum. I'm also suspect of the 650,000 attendance expectation as well- now that the aquarium has been around for a few years, it's drawing around 2.2 million visitors per year- are you really going to try and tell me that this museum is going to draw even 1/4 of the aquarium's visitors (which I'd bet is how they calculated the 650k- it's exactly 25% of the aquarium's attendance.....)???

While I'm sure their calculations are exaggerated to some extent, as anything like this is, your calculations are grossly oversimplified. The economic effects are much more complex. For one thing, a visitor has more expenditures than just a ticket - some big ones are lodging and transportation costs. And even besides that, visitors are not the only source of income - you have to take into account the many layers at work at a tourist destination, a huge one being advertising.