Equitable Building Columns

Public Art : Equitable Building Columns

Sculptor : Unknown

Date Unveiled : Originally used in the Equitable Building in 1895. Unveiled in 1994 as public art (well sort of).  

Description : Three, 20ft marble Corinthian columns, each weighing between 15 to 20 tons. 

Location : Originally there were 24 marble columns making up the old Equitable Building, however, when the building was demolished (to make way for the SunTrust Bank annex) , some of the columns were used as a structure on Columns Drive, North Atlanta. In 1994 three of the columns were returned and placed back near their original location at 100 Peachtree Street, downtown, Atlanta, Georgia. The location of the other 17 columns remains unknown.

Inscriptions :

History of the Equitable Building Columns : The original Equitable Building, in Atlanta, Georgia was built in 1892. The eight storey building, financed by the Equitable Life Assurance Society, was to become Atlanta's first skyscraper and Atlanta’s only pure Chicago School skyscraper (to boot). The building was designed by Joel Hurt, which subsequently lead to it being nicknamed "Hurts Folly", because it was so ahead of its time. The building featured (other than the 24 marble Corinthian columns) an eight-storey stairway, elaborate wrought-iron elevator doors and an innovative steel and glass skylight. The Trust Company of Georgia (now SunTrust Bank) purchased the building in 1903 but demolished it in the 1970's ,to make way for an annex to their new 26 storey building. In the 1990's, thanks to the Atlanta Preservation Centre, the SunTrust Bank was able to retrieve some of its heritage, by purchasing three of the original columns. Now they stand awkwardly outside Peachtree Street, a little out of place, but never the less, home!.

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