Molly Blank Center for Opera & the Arts
The Atlanta Opera will transform the historic Bobby Jones Clubhouse, located on Woodward Way on the Atlanta Beltline, into a home for opera and the performing arts in a community-forward, multi-disciplinary arts center. The plan will create a nature-inspired recital hall, immersive theatre venue, and education spaces, as well as administrative and rehearsal areas for the Opera.
We are thrilled to announce this new home of the Opera to be the Molly Blank Center for Opera and the Arts. A transformational leadership gift of $27.5 million has been presented by The Arthur M. Blank Foundation to the Opera’s comprehensive fundraising campaign. This extraordinary gift not only supports the development of the new state-of-the-art facility but also bolsters the operational initiatives of the Opera’s artistic growth and future programming.
The Molly Blank Center for Opera and the Arts will feature recital and theatrical spaces to support a variety of performances and community engagement, focusing on the arts, including recitals, jazz, cabarets, immersive chamber operas, and more. Located on the Atlanta Beltline, the building and surrounding park will link the opera to the community and create a welcoming place for the arts.
The project is estimated to be completed by Fall 2027.
This new, permanent home for The Atlanta Opera ensures the right fit for our current and future growth. A state-of-the art facility in this park setting will be a source of creativity for our local and visiting musicians. It is perfectly positioned to help us serve audiences and collaborators in our beautiful city and beyond.
– TOMER ZVULUN | CARL W. KNOBLOCH, JR. GENERAL & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
The Facility
The former Bobby Jones Clubhouse on Woodward Way on the Beltline is a Grecian revival built in 1941. The property was reviewed by the Haynes Manor Foundation for renovation into a community-centric classical recital hall. As plans advanced, The Atlanta Opera’s search for a new facility converged with those of the Foundation. The Atlanta Opera has worked closely with the Haynes Manor Foundation, the Peachtree Battle Alliance, and the Atlanta Memorial Park Conservancy to plan a space that presents artistic formats and genres in innovative performance spaces, natural environments, and offers an exceptional acoustic experience.
Allen Post, managing partner of the Atlanta-based architecture firm, Post Loyal, leads the team engaged in designing the Opera’s new home. Preliminary plans call for restoration of the exterior of the historic clubhouse on Woodward Way to blend seamlessly with the surrounding neighborhood’s traditional residences, while a state-of-the-art facility will face the Atlanta BeltLine. The total site area encompasses 4.7 acres of green space, the center, and parking.
The Atlanta Opera has become known not only as one of the finest opera companies in the U.S., but also as a well-managed and financially sound business. This is the company that safely presented live opera during the pandemic and still presented a balanced budget for the last eight years. The open and welcoming design of this building emphasizes the same values we held during the pandemic and that we will always espouse – of being a skillfully managed organization dedicated to making beautiful music available to everyone, everywhere.
– RHYS WILSON | BOARD MEMBER & IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR
The Location
On The Beltline
With a location on the Atlanta Beltline, the Molly Blank Center for Opera and the Arts will be well positioned to become a city-wide source of pride and excitement. The creation of this space, home to the first arts organization to be headquartered on the 22-mile outdoor Beltline loop, will enhance and build upon the quality of life enjoyed by Atlanta residents. The Atlanta Beltline connects different residential areas of the city to a variety of parks, retail, tourist destinations and attractions. In addition, the Beltline regularly hosts musicians, street artists, and artisans who use the walkways and greenspaces to create a strong artistic community.
FAQ
About The Atlanta Opera
The Atlanta Opera’s mission is to break the boundaries of opera to create exceptional experiences for audiences everywhere. Founded in 1979, the company has grown into a multimedia organization presenting live productions, films, music education, and new works. Collaborating with world-renowned singers, conductors, directors, and designers who seek to enhance the art form, The Atlanta Opera has joined the ranks of the TOP TIER of American Orchestras, as designated by Opera America. Under the leadership of internationally recognized stage director and Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. General & Artistic Director Tomer Zvulun since 2013, The Atlanta Opera presents mainstage productions at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, launched the acclaimed Molly Blank Discoveries Series, founded The Atlanta Opera Film Studio, the Studio Artists training program, and the innovative NOW Festival and 96-Hour Opera Project.
As the new headquarters of The Atlanta Opera, the Molly Blank Center for Opera and the Arts will house our administrative offices, costume shop, education spaces, a small film studio for internal recordings, rehearsal hall, and two intimate state-of-the-art performance venues: 1) Rosemary Hall: a 200-seat recital hall, and 2) The Atlanta Opera Coca-Cola Theatre: a 200-seat immersive theater.
In addition to educational programming and camps, the two intimate venues will allow us to present smaller format programming, including small operas, musicals, plays, voice recitals, chamber groups, jazz ensembles, lectures, films, and the list goes on…
No! The two intimate venues will not be for grand opera. Although the intimate venues will allow us to program smaller format productions, it will not be a substitute for the grand experience of our Mainstage performances at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.
The Location & Site Design
The Molly Blank Center for Opera and the Arts will be located in Atlanta Memorial Park, adjacent to the Haynes Manor Neighborhood at the corner of Woodward Way and Havenridge Drive. Sitting atop six acres of beautiful green space on the NW Beltline Connector Trail and Peachtree Creek, the Center will be architecturally anchored by the restored 1940s Bobby Jones Clubhouse, which will blend seamlessly with the state-of-the art facility. We felt this expansive natural environment reflected the essence of opera: an expansive vocal art form that highlights the natural, unamplified beauty of the human voice.
The preservation of the front facade of the existing building has long been a priority for the Atlanta Memorial Park Conservancy and the Peachtree Battle Alliance, and that commitment guided The Atlanta Opera’s re-envisioning of the structure. The former Bobby Jones Golf Course clubhouse, built by the WPA in the 1940s, represents an important piece of American and Atlanta history. Not only does the site recall Bobby Jones, the greatest amateur golfer in the history of the sport, but the clubhouse is also the locus of the 1954 Supreme Court case, Holmes v. City of Atlanta, which led to the integration of municipal spaces in the South. It will now embody the future of performing arts in Atlanta. The project intentionally explores an architectural journey through time. Entering the building through the modern Beltline-facing main entrance, visitors will pass through the contemporary jewel-box atrium and immersive Atlanta Opera Theater before moving backward in time through the more classically designed Rosemary Hall and Knobloch Lobby, which is inside the original clubhouse.
One of the reasons we fell in love with this site was the opportunity to experience the natural beauty of opera surrounded by some of the finest natural beauty Atlanta has to offer. The green space of this property sits mostly within the Peachtree Creek 100-year floodplain. The land was originally developed as a golf course without sufficient consideration of the long-term impact on Peachtree Creek or the broader floodplain ecosystem. For this reason, we have collaborated with the Atlanta Memorial Park Conservancy, Peachtree Battle Alliance, the City of Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation, Breedlove Land Planning, and Davey Resource Group to develop a site plan that will enhance drainage and the functionality of the floodplain, advancing both flood mitigation and the future creek rehabilitation efforts proposed by the Atlanta Memorial Park Conservancy. To achieve this, portions of the landscape will be regraded to allow for hydrological improvements including rain gardens, bioretention ponds, and enhanced drainage. See our site plan here. Upon completion, the site will be restored to a naturalized landscape that works in cohesion with Peachtree Creek and responds to the adjacent neighbor’s concerns regarding existing conditions on the FEMA-managed lots and the NW Beltline Connector Trail.
As committed tree stewards, our goal is to preserve as many of the large legacy trees as possible. While some trees, primarily those in severe decline, will need to be removed, the project will result in a net increase in tree canopy. Following construction, we will also partner with Trees Atlanta, the Atlanta Memorial Park Conservancy, and the Peachtree Battle Alliance to further expand tree coverage. Our goal is to create a creek-friendly natural park along the NW Beltline Connector Trail that balances environmental restoration with the preservation of the larger greenspace for all to enjoy.
Construction
We will break ground on initial site work on February 23, 2026. Construction is expected to take 18 months, starting vertical construction in June 2026, reaching substantial completion by October 2027. See our Construction Timeline here.
Construction operations will take place between 7am and 6pm, Monday through Friday, and some Saturdays between 9am and 6pm.
The site entrance will be at the corner of Woodward Way and Havenridge Drive. Workers will use the existing lot behind the building. With this parking lot open only to construction, our goal is to ensure no construction worker parking occurs on our residential streets.
During construction, there will be trucks driving through the neighborhood to the site. The frequency will change depending on the stage of the construction. We are working with the contractor to strongly discourage ingress and egress on Woodward Way at Northside Drive, given the narrow roadway and tight turning radius in this area.
Although construction will not obstruct the Trail, the existing parking lot will be closed behind the building for the duration of construction from February 14, 2026, through November 2027. There will also be a few days during construction when small sections of the Trail within the 6-acre project footprint will be closed to install drainage beneath it. Every effort will be made to provide a safe detour around these closures.
Although construction will not obstruct the Beltline path, the current surface parking lot will be closed for the duration of construction from February 14, 2026 through November 2027. There will also be a few days during construction where small areas of the Beltline will be closed as we install drainage beneath it
Traffic & Parking
We conducted a traffic study that determined there will be minimal impact to traffic volumes during peak traffic periods. With only 200 seats in each of our venues we expect a maximum of 60 patron vehicles per performance.
Well, are you driving, biking, or walking? This NW Beltline Trail location is central to our efforts to integrate the arts and nature, and we hope to see as many, if not more, visitors from the Trail than from automobiles. The main entrance to the building will face the NW on the south side, where there is an existing surface lot, bike racks, and sitting areas. This lot will be reconfigured to serve as the building’s primary parking area, including ADA-accessible drop-off and parking.
East of Havenridge Drive, there are also three open lots that, due to excessive flooding, were purchased by the City of Atlanta and are subject to FEMA use restrictions (“FEMA Lots”). To provide Beltline access, discourage street parking, and enhance our floodplain restoration efforts, we hope to redevelop these FEMA lots in a way that enhances flood capacity, improves soil infiltration, and enhances drainage to Peachtree Creek while also creating a pervious-surface area for overflow parking to the Beltline.
In collaboration with the Atlanta Memorial Park Conservancy, the Peachtree Battle Alliance, the City of Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), Breedlove Land Planning, Davey Resource Group, and in consultation with adjacent neighbors, we have proposed a rehabilitation plan that includes replacing some surface area with pervious pavers and subsurface pebbles to increase soil infiltration, adding bioretention ponds, installingn a subsurface drainage system, and increasing the caliper inches of native trees. DPR is currently evaluating that proposal, which, if approved, will then be submitted to FEMA for final approval. More updates to come!
Finances
The total project will cost approximately $72 million, including $48 million for hard costs (construction), $16 million for soft costs (design, FF&E, contingency), and $8 million for administrative costs and a maintenance fund.
All gift inquiries should be directed to: [email protected]
General Contact Information
Contact information for the contractor will be available shortly before construction begins. If you live within the Haynes Manor neighborhood, the neighborhood liaison is Patrick Deveau.
Media requests may be directed to: [email protected]
