Drive south on I-75 near the Northside Drive exit lately and you'll notice something new rising above the trees. A 16-story State of Georgia office tower is beginning to make its presence known at 1715 Northside Drive NW, and several floors have already gone vertical.
The transformation here is the kind of thing that reminds you just how quickly Atlanta changes. Where cranes now tower over the site, there once stood the Diamond Club, a gas station, and other low-rise commercial properties.
That's a pretty dramatic before-and-after.
So what exactly is being built?
This isn't another apartment tower or mixed-use project. The new building will total roughly 250,000 square feet and serve as the future home of several of Georgia's major retirement and investment agencies, including the Employees' Retirement System of Georgia, the Teachers Retirement System, and the state's Division of Investment Services.
It's also surprisingly parking-heavy. Seven floors are dedicated to parking, including one below ground and six above it. The office space will occupy the upper levels, with the state using most of the building and additional office space available for future tenants.
Why This Location Matters
This stretch of Northside Drive has always felt like one of Atlanta's in-between places. It's wedged between Midtown and Buckhead, sits directly beside I-75, and for years has been more of a corridor people pass through than a place they think about.
That visibility is exactly why this project stands out.
Thousands of drivers pass this site every day, and by the time construction wraps up, this tower will likely become one of the most recognizable landmarks along this stretch of interstate. Whether you know the neighborhood as Loring Heights or simply as "that area by Northside Drive," it's going to look very different than it did just a few years ago.
What We Know About the Timeline
Construction is expected to continue through March 2028.
While this project may not come with new apartments, restaurants, or retail spaces, it still represents a significant long-term investment in a highly visible piece of Atlanta. And in a city where some sites seem frozen in time for years, it's notable to finally have a clear answer for what this property is becoming.
I can't tell you how many times I've driven past this site getting onto I-75 and wondered what was eventually going to happen there. It always felt like one of those parcels that was simply too visible to stay the way it was forever. I don't think I would have guessed a 16-story state office tower, but it's fascinating to finally know the answer. That's one of my favorite things about Atlanta. You can drive by the same piece of land for years and then one day realize the city has completely rewritten the story of that place.
