Atlanta from the Ashes, Bronze monument in Woodruff Park, Downtown Atlanta, US
Atlanta from the Ashes, known as The Phoenix, is a bronze monument in Woodruff Park, Downtown Atlanta. A draped female figure with long hair, bare above the waist, raises her arms overhead to hold the legs of a gilded phoenix with spread wings. The dark bronze group stands on a rectangular light gray stone base bearing a small plaque.
The work was created in 1969 and originally placed near Rich's Department Store. It was relocated to Woodruff Park in 1995 following restoration, establishing its current home in the downtown area.
The work takes its subject from the Greco-Roman phoenix, the bird consumed by fire that rises again, paired with Atlanta's own recovery after Union troops burned the city. It was a gift from the Rich Foundation marking the 100th anniversary of Rich's department store, and the store's name ties the monument to the city's commercial history.
The sculpture stands freely in Woodruff Park, a public plaza in downtown Atlanta that is accessible year-round. Multiple pathways around the park allow visitors to view the work from different angles and vantage points.
The monument was a gift from the Rich Foundation marking the 100th anniversary of Rich's department store. From 1969 to 1995 it stood on a viaduct beside the original Rich's store on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive at Spring Street, before restoration and relocation to Woodruff Park.
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