Millennium Gate, Atlanta
Monumental arch in the heart of the city
01 — Alexander Stoddart's sculpture Justice is personified by Greek goddess Dike
“The restrictions of the oval site precluded setting the arch axially on 17th Street, the divided highway that leads up to it: the size of the road would in any case have required an even bigger structure to dominate it. Instead, in the picturesque tradition, it is placed at an angle, leading the eye around the street’s change of direction. The off-centre relationship to the boulevard recalls the setting of many ancient monuments in Rome.”
– Clive Aslet, writing in Living Tradition
The first urban monument of this scale since the Jefferson Memorial.
The Millennium Gate sits on the edge of a new park which forms part of the urban regeneration of an old steel mill in Atlanta, Georgia. Reaching 70 feet (21.3 metres) in height, the building is the first urban classical monument of this scale to be built in the USA since the Jefferson Memorial in 1936. ADAM Architecture was commissioned by Rodney Mims Cook Jr., founder of the National Monuments Foundation in the USA.
Constructed of Indiana limestone, the monument takes the form of a triumphal arch with a public gallery for contemporary classical sculpture and various meeting and reception rooms. It also contains period room settings as part of a Georgian history museum within the arch.
Balustrade detail
Hand drawn concept drawing
Justice sculpture by Alexander Stoddart
The design of the arch is embellished with a sculptural allegory by Scottish sculptor Alexander Stoddart, telling the story of peaceful accomplishment over the last 2000 years. Decoration is restrained and includes palm fronds over the main cornice, symbolising peace.
Two eight-foot-high bronze statues, also by Stoddart, stand either side of the arch. The figures of Peace and Justice represent the civilising values presiding over the urban regeneration of this quarter of Atlanta.
Peace sculpture by Alexander Stoddart
PartnerHugh PetterSectorPublic & CommercialLocationAtlanta, United StatesCOLLABORATORS
Designer of period rooms, Spencer-Churchill Designs
Interior design of museum galleries, Rodney Mims Cook Jr.
Sculptor, Alexander Stoddart