Artistic Innovation at the Heart of Georgia Tech’s Newest District

In West Midtown, steps away from the heart of the Georgia Tech campus, the Ferst Center for the Arts, and Science Square, a vision is taking shape.

It’s Tech’s latest planned innovation district — an arts and entertainment hub for Atlanta called Creative Quarter.

Running along North Avenue and Marietta Street, Creative Quarter will be a place for Tech students to create and connect. It will also serve as another link between Tech and the city — this time through the energy and engagement of arts and creative industries — in a space where new technologies for producing art are developed and shared.

Leaning Into Arts and Creativity

Jason Freeman, associate vice provost for the Arts, and President Ángel Cabrera recently visited the space that will one day anchor Creative Quarter: the former Randall Brothers site, where one of Atlanta’s premier building products manufacturers was established in 1885, the same year as Georgia Tech’s founding.

Both are energized by the enormous potential of what’s to come here, from academic and office space to residential and commercial areas, creative makerspaces, performance halls, soundstages, and production studios.

“This makes so much sense for us as a place to lean into arts and creativity because it connects to what our students do and what they want to explore,” Freeman said. “They want to pursue their passion for the arts while they're students here, whether that's in their academic studies or the activities they pursue outside of class.”

What makes the space so special, Freeman noted, is its proximity to the core of campus. At the same time, its Westside location will make it easier for people who don't often visit Tech to attend events at Creative Quarter, making it a vital space where the campus community meets the surrounding community.

Some of that will take the form of collaboration with industry partners who want to explore new technologies and work with students and faculty. “But it will also be with people who live in the neighborhoods right around us: artists, community partners, and students,” he said.

The Spark

For Georgia Tech, Creative Quarter marks a deeper connection into the intersection of art and technology, drawing on the deep creative energy of Atlanta and the region. For Atlanta, it will be an exciting new arts and entertainment district in a bustling, growing part of the city.

“On this site and in this neighborhood, we want to attract creative industries and incubate the next great companies approaching art and technology in exciting new ways — and have that happen here, through the spark that Georgia Tech gives to this,” Cabrera said.

“I see genius happening here. I see new forms of art and new forms of technology emerging from this space. And I simply can't wait.”