Medical Arts Building mega-billboard comes down
Where did our favorite display of intown advertising go?
If you live or drive near downtown’s historic Medical Arts Building and had grown used to a giant elephant hawking an inexpensive cell phone deal, you might have noticed something’s, oh, kind of different about the vacant Peachtree landmark yesterday morning.
On Saturday, the controversial ten-story cellular ad — operated by Buford, Ga.-based KH Outdoor LLC — was unexpectedly removed. Downtown resident Kyle Kessler tells CL he observed two workers dismantling the billboard that morning.
In case you weren’t around for the initial scuttlebutt: In early February, the city’s code compliance division cited KH Outdoor for the billboard, saying it violated Atlanta’s sign ordinance. KH Outdoor appealed the citation. The company said the city failed to follow standard procedure, turned a blind eye to other offenders, and violated its God-given right to free speech. Since then, the advertisement’s remained on the Medical Arts Building. The issue is scheduled to be heard by the city’s Board of Zoning Adjustments on April 1.