A glimmering jewel is set to rise in Midtown – one that will reach upwards toward heaven while connecting arts venues here on Atlanta Midtown’s earth.  Opus No 2 will be Atlanta’s highest residential tower at 53 stories and 688 feet and will be built near the Woodruff Arts Center, the High Museum, and the MARTA Arts Center Station with pedestrian access to all.

The renderings are beautiful, and according to descriptions, the building will feature a pinwheel effect with the glass that will shift with height.  The building is designed by Perkins + Will’s Atlanta office.  The  project is team led by Design Director Manuel Cadrecha, who states on the project’s website, “we see No.2 Opus Place as the new centerpiece of Atlanta’s most exciting neighborhood.”

Atlanta’s tallest building overall is an office tower – Bank of American Plaza – at 935 feet.   Opus No 2 will be purely residential, and so will hold the “tallest” title in Atlanta for residences, not for buildings in general.  But it will tower ten stories above the nearby Four Seasons tower and is “the” new place for would be sky dwellers willing to dole out twelve million dollars for a penthouse in the ether.  Those of more limited budgets can purchase a smaller unit on a lower floor for closer to half a million dollars.

I am excited about this Atlanta milestone.  While Atlanta does not have the tall towers of New York or Chicago, this high rise will add a certain air of sophistication and elegance to Midtown, particularly with its artistic nexus.  Opus No 2 will be quite cosmopolitan – a vertical city, complete with hotel style amenities, including infinity edge pool overlooking 14^th street, club level (named “Mozart’s 41^st” on – you guessed it – the 41^st floor) with demonstration kitchen, fitness rooms, an indoor/outdoor yoga area, an IMAX theater, a library, several guest suites, and other perks for residents.

Why OPUS?  Here is my educated guess.  In the classical period, opus, which is Latin for “work”, was used to identify and catalogue works of art.  So if the tallest residential tower is No 2 Opus, where is ONE Opus?  In fact, it will be an adjacent art gallery space designed by Richard Meier that will front 14^th Street.  So Opus One and Two are Midtown’s catalogued first and second new works of art in the form of architecture, and that’s something to look forward to.