ATLANTA - A metro Atlanta site will be home to one of the world's largest aquariums, sponsors confirmed Monday. The decision ends six months of speculation about its location. <br>
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The Marcus Foundation said it intends on buying 14 acres on the west side of the Atlantic Station, a residential and retail development near Georgia Tech. The site will house the 5-million-gallon Georgia Aquarium. <br>
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Bernard Marcus, co-founder of The Home Depot, made a $200 million commitment to the project in November. Marcus, who is worth more than $3 billion, said the aquarium is a way to thank customers and employees who have helped the Atlanta-based company become the nation's largest home-improvement retailer. <br>
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Other potential sites for the aquarium included a Georgia Tech softball field, a Midtown shopping center and the Narjoe Timber & Supply Co., The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Tuesday. <br>
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Construction is expected to begin next year. <br>
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The tentative land deal came together Sunday, said Rick Slagle, executive director of the Marcus Foundation. The 138-acre Atlantic Station project will combine a retail and entertainment center, office towers, hotels and housing. <br>
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Other developments for the Atlantic Station also were announced Monday at the International Council of Shopping Centers annual convention in Las Vegas. <br>
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California Pizza Kitchen will fill about 5,200 square feet in the development and is expected to open next fall. A two-story, 100,000-square-foot, 16-screen United Artists movie theater also was planned. <br>
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More than a dozen other tenants, including a furniture store and a bookstore, are expected to be disclosed within 60 days, said Jim Jacoby, chairman of Jacoby Development. <br>
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In 1992, the city of Chattanooga, Tenn., just 100 miles north of Atlanta, built a $45 million aquarium in 1992 that fanned new life into the tourism industry and into its downtown area.
