Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium

Ivan Allen Jr., the man running for mayor of Atlanta in 1961, is the man responsible for bringing a major sports franchise to Atlanta, and, in return, turning Atlanta into the booming city it is today. During his campaign of the 1961 election, Allan promised to build a sports arena attractive enough to bring a sports team to Atlanta, knowing the economic benefits that follow. After being elected, Allan recruited major sports franchises all across the country to join forces with him in Atlanta, finally convincing the owner of the Milwaukee Braves to join him in the south. With a team to call Atlanta home, Allan planned construction for Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Atlanta-Fulton county stadium was built to hold two sports games: baseball and football. Just two months after the Atlanta Braves’ inaugural season in Atlanta, the city announced they were bringing an expansion American football team in, the Atlanta Falcons. For 32 years the stadium was home to historical moments, such as Hank Aaron’s 715th home run, passing Babe Ruth for the most in Major League Baseball history at the time. It was also home to multi-sport legend Deion Sanders, a star for both the Braves and the Falcons, and a 1995 MLB World Series winning team. When it was announced that Atlanta would be home to the 1996 Olympics, Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium’s time coming to an end. On September 23, 1996, Ivan Allen Jr. threw out the first pitch of the last regular-season home game for the Atlanta Braves. Allan’s vision of the prosperity that he was convinced the fledgling Atlanta Braves would bring to the city in 1965 come to life. He stood on the mound of the same field that he cut the opening ribbon on 32 years earlier with the peace of mind that his promise delivered. With his help, the city of Atlanta was now an international hub and booming city. After the move to Turner Field, Atlanta-Fulton county stadium was demolished, but the wall that Hank Aaron hit his 715th home run over still stands in the parking lot just north of Turner Field.