Midtown / Fox Theatre District

The Georgian Terrace Hotel

★★★★★

The Georgian Terrace is the most storied hotel in Atlanta and the best-located historic hotel in Midtown. It opened on October 2, 1911, at 659 Peachtree Street, designed by William Lee Stoddart in a Beaux-Arts style meant to evoke Paris, with a curved corner facade, columned terraces and grand public rooms. It sits across the street from the Fox Theatre, and together they anchor the Fox Theatre Historic District. Its guest book is a century of American history: Enrico Caruso and the Metropolitan Opera stayed here on their Atlanta tours, and so did Calvin Coolidge, General John J. Pershing, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Walt Disney and Clark Gable. The hotel's most famous night came on December 15, 1939, when the stars and director of Gone With the Wind were driven here by motorcade for the party before the film's Atlanta premiere; most of them stayed at the hotel. In 1991 a nineteen-story tower was added beside the original ten-story building, designed to match it, and topped with a rooftop pool that has one of the best views in Midtown. The property spent some years as apartments and reopened as a hotel in 1997. Today it is a member of Historic Hotels of America, and its rooms range from classic doubles in the historic building to larger suites in the tower. The ballrooms host weddings and events most weekends. The location is the selling point: the Fox is across the street, MARTA's North Avenue station is a short walk, and Midtown's restaurants, the High Museum and Piedmont Park are close. The caveats are typical of an old hotel — some rooms are compact, and Peachtree Street traffic can be heard from street-facing rooms.

The Georgian Terrace was built when Peachtree Street north of downtown was becoming the city's grand residential avenue, and its terraces were designed for guests to see and be seen. The Fox Theatre, built in the late 1920s as a Shriners mosque and movie palace, gave the corner its theatrical character, and the two buildings have survived together through periods of decline and revival. The hotel is owned by Sotherly Hotels and operated by OTH Hotels and Resorts.

To make the most of a stay, request a room in the historic building for character or in the tower for space and views; the higher tower floors look out over the Midtown skyline. Spend an afternoon at the rooftop pool in warm weather. If you are seeing a show at the Fox, this is the most convenient hotel in the city — you can have a drink in the hotel and walk across the street minutes before curtain. Take a few minutes to explore the historic public rooms and terraces, where the hotel's past is easiest to feel.

As a base, the Georgian Terrace suits first-timers, couples and theater-goers who want walkable Midtown and good transit. The North Avenue MARTA station connects to downtown and the airport, the High Museum and the Woodruff Arts Center are a short ride north, and the Botanical Garden, Piedmont Park and the BeltLine are within a pleasant walk or quick rideshare. Downtown attractions are ten minutes away by train. Valet parking is available but not cheap; you will not need a car for most of a Midtown-based trip.