In what could only be assumed was originally intended to honor the greatness of the '80s-era video game Tempest, The Boulevard CID has just approved the renovation of the Atlanta Gateway sculpture. The restoration will be finished by May. Selig Enterprises VP Kent Walker (also a Boulevard CID board member) says the project is "symbolic of the CID's efforts to return Fulton Industrial Boulevard to its stature as a catalyst for economic development, both regionally and internationally." Renovations include repainting the sculpture into its original "Sunrise Red" color, officials say.
OK, so the artwork really has nothing to do with Tempest. It was a sculpture created by artist Peter Forakis and commissioned in 1967 as part of what was then a master-planned industrial park called Great Southwest Industrial Park by Texas-based developer Angus Gilchrist. There were many sculptures dotting the park, but since the '60s, many disappeared or were consumed into private collections, leaving just the Gateway work, says Boulevard GID's Gil Prado (here). “The original developer of the Great Southwest Parkway Industrial Park was innovative because he sought to differentiate his project from the competition and create a public amenity by incorporating public art," Gil says.
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