Mayor John Park has announced that the bright-colored glass of the dome at Brookhaven’s City Centre will be removed following feedback about its look.
“The primary colors didn’t mesh with the rest of the design of the building. It distracted from that kind of muted design principle we put forth,” Park summarized.
This decision was made after consultations among the City Council members, and removal plans were disclosed last week.
The dome, which sits atop the new 58,000-square-foot City Centre located at Peachtree Road and North Druid Hills Road, is nearing completion with an opening set for August 9.
The construction of the City Centre, which costs $81 million, will include office spaces for the city’s administrative staff, the mayor, City Council members, the Brookhaven Chamber of Commerce, and Explore Brookhaven, the local tourism agency.
In addition to administrative offices, the facility will also feature the City Council chambers.
However, 60% of the building will be designated as public space, earning it the nickname “The People’s House.”
Park emphasized that the dome should serve as both a decorative and iconic element of the building.
“When you’re driving up from Buckhead on Peachtree turning that corner, you wanted something that people notice,” he stated.
The dome’s unexpected color has raised questions about how the glass ended up being much brighter than anticipated.
Park mentioned that efforts are underway to understand the problem.
City spokesperson Burke Brennan suggested that the fluorescent lighting in the current City Hall may have influenced the perception of the glass samples, making them appear duller than they actually are in natural light.
The cost implications of the construction are significant, with the steel for the dome totaling $965,000, and the colored glass, which would have covered approximately 30% of it, priced at $890,000.
The city aims to return the glass and seek a refund, maintaining that the color is not in alignment with their vision.
Another option proposed is for the city’s arts commission to repurpose the glass by collaborating with an artist.
Commenting on the dome’s placement, Lauren Kiefer, a former arts commissioner and 2023 mayoral candidate, expressed her view that having a dome on the City Centre is excessive.
“We have a Gold Dome at the (state) Capitol,” Kiefer said, adding that when she thinks of a dome, she associates it with prominent buildings such as the state Capitol and famous cathedrals.
Marjorie Hall, the founder of the advocacy group DeKalb Strong, criticized the City Centre’s opulence, stating it symbolizes the formation of new cities in DeKalb County that add layers of government while burdening residents with additional expenses.
In recent years, Brookhaven has also built a $25.7 million public safety building along with a $10 million office structure for city services such as permitting and engineering.
City officials assert that community input played a vital role in shaping the City Centre’s design at various stages.
City Manager Christian Sigman addressed the matter, asserting, “It isn’t like it showed up in the middle of the night. That dome has been around for every design process.”
He reminisced about previous design concepts that included different styles of domes.
Financed through Brookhaven’s Special Services District, which collects taxes from local commercial properties, the City Centre will sit on land leased from MARTA adjacent to the Brookhaven/Oglethorpe station.
This lease, which began in October 2022, stipulates that the city pays 6% of the property’s assessed value and will maintain ownership once the lease concludes in October 2072.
The first-year annual rent is $174,120, based on the assessed property value of $2.9 million, with an increase in rent scheduled as property value escalates.
John Ernst, Park’s predecessor as mayor, remarked on the overall construction project, deeming it “fabulous” and saying that the colored glass was merely a small part of it.
He acknowledged that in any construction endeavor, issues often arise during completion.
“Every construction project I have heard of — private, public, my own house, other people’s houses — there’s always something at the end that didn’t go right or didn’t seem to be right,” Ernst stated.
image source from：ajc
