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Centennial Olympic Park is a 21 acre (85,000 mē) public park located in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, USA that is owned and operated by the Georgia World Congress Center Authority. The park was built by the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG) as part of the infrastructure improvements for the Centennial 1996 Summer Olympics. ACOG's chief executive, Billy Payne, conceived it as both a central gathering location for visitors and spectators during the Olympics and as a lasting legacy for the city. The park is surrounded by many major Atlanta Landmarks; the Georgia World Congress Center, Georgia Dome, Philips Arena and the CNN Center are all on the west side of the park and the Georgia Aquarium and the new World of Coca-Cola on the North side of the park. It is bounded by Marietta Street to the west, Baker Street to the north and Centennial Olympic Park Drive to the east and south. Andrew Young International Boulevard, named for the former Atlanta mayor and U.N. ambassador, runs through the southern portion of the park. The park property was previously a variety of vacant lots and abandoned, run-down and industrial buildings. |