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.,. 230 PEACHTREE STREET, N. E., ATLAN TA, GEO RGIA 30303 0 PHONE 404-577-2870 . ,'\ '\ September 27 , 1966 HON ORARY CH A/R iv/ AN MAYO R IVA N ALLEN , JR . PRESI DE-N i T. M. M I LLE R VI C E PR !: SIDENT C AR LING DINK LE R, J R. Mr . Paul Muldawer VI C E PRE SIDEN T 900 Peachtree Street, N. ·E. C H ARLES J. TUC KER VI CE PRESID ENT Atlanta, G e orgi a C EC I L S. SE M ?LE VI CE PRESID EN T W . J . YOHANNAN TREASU RER G ARN ETi A . C A RTER EXEC UTI VE VI C E PRESIDENT JA M ES W . HURST DIR EC TO RS JAM ES H . ALD REDG E WI LL IAM BARTHOCO MAY RA LPH A . BECK D. 0. BEUS SE O BY T. BR EWER G EO RGE BRO DNAX . J L Dear Mr . Muldawer: With great interest I read ·M r. Reese Cleghorn's recent arti cle in the Atlanta Journal entitled 11 0ur Underground City. 11 The Atlanta Convention Bureau i s engag ed in the purpose of bringing convention - holqing g roups to Atlanta and servicing them after the selection of our city. We compete in this activity with seventy -five other cities, and the revenue to Atlanta is about $4 5 million as an annual result of conventions meeting here. WIL LI AM F-. BUTTREY G EO RGE J . C OTSAK IS JOSEP H C RO C Y OV I D DA VIS DANNY DE M ET RY FRA NK A. EIDSO N MILTO N G . FAR RIS JAC K F. GLENN DON ELLIOT HEA LD WILLIAM T. KNI GH T C HAR LES H. LEFTW ICH DAVI D N . M EYER FRED 8. M OO RE ED WAR D J. NEGR I C LAU DE A . PETT Y, JR . W e are presently selling Atlanta as the new , dynamic, enthusi astic city in America with new facilities -- both hotels and exhibit halls. Most national convention g roups have not met in Atlanta, and they are interested in convening in our city. The results of bringing a convention delegate to Atlanta are, of course, most visible and tangible i n the imme diate downt ow n area. The dele gate sp e nds most of his money in the downtown area; h owever, the p e rsons hired in the store s, restaurants, hotels, motels, and nightclubs to serve convention delegates spend most of their money in the nei ghborhoods. CH AR LES A. RAW SO N, SR. M. 0. RYAN, J R. ED W AR D D. SM ITH RANK IN M . SMI TH ROBERT L. SOMM ERVI LLE RICH AR D E. STE RN E LUTHER SWEN SSO N JA C K TA RVE R A ll citi e s s ell th e ir facilities , loc a tion, and commu nity activities and i nt e r e sts to convention g r oup s; and th e y a r e succ es sful for various r easons. We feel Atlanta is succes sful bec au se w e are n ew, and w e ex p e ct to r e ach $ 100 million s pent her e e a ch y e ar by conve ntion dele gates by the y e a r 1 97 0. W. H. TH O MAS, J R. KILIAEN TOWNS EN D CHARLES J. TU C KER , JR. MOSE C . TURMAN ADVI SORY COM/vl / TTEE H. L. EBERSOLE EDGAR J . FORI O VI RGIL MILTON M. M. 0 '5ULLIVAN FREEMAN STRICKLAN D A. L. ZACHRY In a few y ears the newne ss of Atlanta wi ll no l on g er exi s t due t o the fa c t that many national and region al c onvention groups wi ll h ave met h e re in our city. W e will be looking for s~meth ing �,..,, ':,, Mr. Paul Muldawer Septe mber 27, 1966 Page 2 new and different to talk about so that p eople will want to come to Atlanta. New York h as Greenwich Village; St. Louis has Gas Light Square; and Chicag'o has Old Town. None of these areas are within walking distance of downtown. If the old store fronts were restore d and a unique transportation system like horse and buggy or street c ars wer e utili zed, a new dimension would be added to Atlanta, creating a great new inte r est in our city and certainly drawing not only loc al pe ople, but visitors t o the d owntown area. Because of the new dimension the development of the underground city would give t o Atlanta and because we would thus have a new sales tool, the Atlanta Convention Bureau would certainly be wholeheartedly in favor of further exploration of this idea by the Civic Design Commission. Sincerely, uJ. ~ Hurs t Exe cutive Vice President JWH:vg cc: Mr. Reese Cleghorn Mr. T. M. Miller �