digATL | The Digital Atlanta Portal

Originally Atlanta’s first modern parking garage, Kell Hall began as a 1920s “automobile hotel” and later became Georgia State’s first permanent building, illustrating urban ambition, cost effective development, and adaptive reuse. A testament to the resourceful and inventive spirit of GSU’s early leaders, Kell Hall endured through more than seven decades of growth and innovation as Georgia State evolved from the University System of Georgia’s “Atlanta Extension Center” to a world-class urban research university.

GSU student 3D Atlanta visualization project. Here, including a demo of a “future-peeking” device allowing users to see downtown Atlanta streets in 2017, and as they were in the 1920s, including many historically accurate buildings modeled from photos taken at the time. The virtual environment introduces users to many of the historically significant buildings that stood before parking lots came to dominate Atlanta’s downtown.

Archived by the Wayback Machine.

Exhibit revised in 2026 as “GSU Ramps Up: Kell Hall and the Rise of an Urban Campus.” Originally one of the first parking garages in the city, the Ivy Street Garage was renovated and opened to students in 1946. In 1964, it was renamed Kell Hall to honor Wayne S. Kell, the original director of the school. Kell Hall was demolished and replaced with a campus greenway in 2021. On this archived website, you can browse the collections of digital items gathered, read about Kell Hall’s history, and take a virtual tour of the building. 

This student project allows users to experience Atlanta as it was in the 1920s, including many historically accurate buildings modeled from photos taken at the time. The virtual environment introduces users to many of the historically significant buildings that stood before parking lots came to dominate Atlanta’s downtown.