Dec, 2016. I wish I could give Underground Atlanta a better review. I live within easy walking distance. It has great name recognition and is within a few blocks of a number of major Atlanta attractions. It's also adjacent to the intersection of MARTA's two lines

What is Underground? In the 1800's the area was on a level street grid with the railroads that built Atlanta running through it. Over time sections of street were elevated over the tracks and the streets on the lower level were abandoned. What had been the first floor of building essentially became the basement and the area was vacant. As a result there was an "Upper Alabama St" with a "Lower Alabama St" running under it. "Lower Alabama" eventually became Underground's main concourse and the original storefronts from the 1800's became the new shops.

In the mall's first iteration, from the late 1960's through about 1980, it was primarily a nightclub destination. Atlanta had more lax alcohol laws than the surrounding area so it was the regions premier nightlife destination. As laws changed people stopped coming and it shut down in the early 1980's.

It was redeveloped as a "festival marketplace" / mall and reopened about 1989. It had a variety of souvenir stores along with mainline stores like the Gap, Champs and Sam Goody. With Rich's and Kessler's Department stores and the World of Coke nearby, it initially did well.

Unfortunately the department stores and the original World of Coke closed and it's no longer anyplace I would take my family or in-laws when they visit from the Upper Midwest. Nor is it anywhere I would recommend single women or children visit alone or anyone visit at night. I don't know that it's actually unsafe, but it absolutely has the feeling of a place where petty crime could occur. Particularly on the section of Peachtree that runs beside it. If you've ever exited customs in a third world airport it has that element of "watch your luggage " to it - particularly outside

What's left today is mostly on the Lower Alabama St side - the "Underground" area. It's a collection of athletic shoe and urban wear shops, with a few jewelry and tourist stores thrown in. It's probably 60% occupied. There is also a large, mostly vacant food court with "Chinese" restaurants selling deep fried chicken bits covered in goo, a mostly vacant "Upper Alabama Street" area (the above ground and outside stores) and an entertainment street that is empty with one notable exception: "The Masquerade" - a notable live music venue - has moved in on a temporary basis after it lost its longtime home to condos.

Although it has been years since it was a genuine tourist attraction (its irreversible decline began when the World of Coke moved to Centennial Park and Underground lost its last anchor), when I first moved downtown it served the purpose of a legitimate urban shopping center with shops for the less affluent. However, in the last few years many of those have closed. It was probably as a result of a pending redevelopment and a desire to keep the spaces vacant for whatever comes next.

And that's likely the future of the complex. A developer from SC is expected to close on a deal to buy Underground in Jan, 2017 which will include adjacent parking and the cross streets within the complex. A couple blocks of Alabama and Pryor street were recently"abandoned" by the City so they can be added to the package. That gives the next project about four city blocks of private land to play with, and combined with a related developer who has acquired most of the adjacent properties along Peachtree St, it seems the area is likely to gentrify. The project is expected to include a grocery store, student housing, apartments, and possibly even retail. That makes Underground's future as a tourist attraction seem unlikely. The latest proposal I've seen has even included removing Upper Alabama St and exposing the lower lever to daylight again.

Time will tell, but Underground's days in it's current layout seem numbered. I hope.