Hyatt Regency Atlanta
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The Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Georgia was constructed in 1967. The John Portman designed building was the original Hyatt Regency property, was the first hotel centered around an atrium, and has influenced hotel design since.[citation needed] When it was built, the Regency Hyatt House, as the hotel was originally called, instantly became one of the most recognized buildings in Atlanta, and its open-air atrium and revolving rooftop restaurant drew heavy interest from Atlantans and tourists alike.
The building consists of the main "Atrium Tower" and two extensions, completed in 1971 and 1982, containing a total of 1,260 rooms[1]. On top of the Hyatt Regency is a revolving restaurant called Polaris, located just beneath the blue domed-shaped structure which gives the hotel its distinctive profile. This was John Portman's 1st revolving restaurant of many. When the hotel first opened, the restaurant gave diners an ever-changing panoramic view of the entire city; however, as taller buildings were erected on all sides of the hotel, the restaurant's view became increasingly constricted. Hotel managers cited renovation needs when the Polaris closed in August of 2004, but no plans to re-open the restaurant have been announced.
In 1974 the Ivy Tower (now called Radius Tower) was constructed. It was sort of a John Portman Easter egg because it looks just like the Westin Peachtree Plaza, also designed by Portman. So similar are the two buildings that in 1981, the Tower doubled for the Peachtree Plaza in the film Sharky's Machine starring Burt Reynolds. Stuntman Dar Robinson dropped 220 feet (67 m) from the Tower, setting a record for the highest freefall (unrestrained) jump from a building in a film.
In 1996, International tower was added which is the same as the original design but has expanded rooms and suites.
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Coordinates: 33°45′41″N 84°23′12″W / 33.76139°N 84.38667°W
