Images: New Georgia State baseball stadium breaks (hallowed) groundJosh GreenMon, 01/12/2026 - 13:22More than a decade after talks began, Georgia State University is officially building a baseball complex designed to honor Atlanta sports history in the shadow of downtown. The City of Atlanta approved GSU’s application for a Land Disturbance Permit just before Thanksgiving, and a recent site visit in Summerhill shows asphalt removal and other preparations underway for the new baseball complex along Hank Aaron Drive.GSU officials predicted last month the facilities will be “a transformational addition to both the university’s athletics portfolio and the surrounding Summerhill community.”The $15.4-million baseball complex will be located just north of Center Parc Stadium, where GSU football plays, and is consistent with GSU’s master plan, school officials have said. It will rise on the footprint of Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, where Braves’ legend Hank Aaron smacked his record-breaking 715th home run nearly 52 years ago. Overview of stadium construction (asphalt removal) underway in the footprint of the former Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, as seen Saturday. Josh Green/Urbanize AtlantaOverview of the baseball stadium project, with views to Mercedes-Benz Stadium and downtown, released by GSU in December. GSU/Georgia State AthleticsThe site was also the longtime home of the Atlanta Falcons, the Atlanta Chiefs, the Peach Bowl, and landmark events such as Olympics baseball in 1996. GSU plans to honor Aaron’s legacy in the area by relocating his landmark statue from Center Parc Stadium to the new ballpark’s main entrance. The facilities will also include a commemorative marker in left field that denotes the location of Hammerin’ Hank’s historic home run. That will replace the current block wall and fence that mark Aaron’s home run spot—both erected after the stadium’s demolition, per GSU.  Construction schedules call for completing the new GSU ballpark this fall. Commemorative wall denoting location of Hank Aaron’s record-breaking 715th home run in April 1974. Josh Green/Urbanize AtlantaThe 565 Hank apartments, at left, in relation to the future GSU stadium site today. Josh Green/Urbanize AtlantaAccording to earlier filings, plans call for a stadium with 1,000 seats beneath a shade structure, plus roughly 3,000 square feet of facilities for concessions, restrooms, and a press box. Other aspects of the project would include field lighting and artificial turf.All renderings considered current in 2023 showed a softball complex operating adjacent to the baseball facilities, toward the downtown Connector freeway; but paperwork in earlier proposals and GSU’s December announcement contain no mention of that. Ditto for a new rendering the school released last month. The presence of GSU athletic facilities and its nearby campus has been a catalyst for Summerhill’s mixed-use transformation around Georgia Avenue since the Braves decamped to Cobb County. The diamond-shaped parking lot area where Aaron’s famed hit took place is located near hundreds of new apartments today, including the 565 Hank complex that will overlook the baseball facilities. Atlanta’s first new transit line in more than two decades—MARTA’s delayed Rapid A-Line, the region’s first bus-rapid transit route—is now on pace to deliver in the first half of this year, MARTA officials recently relayed. That should allow baseball fans a means of accessing games via mass transit, though acres of surface parking lots (and GSU’s 900-space standalone parking deck) are nearby. The baseball facilities are claiming 400 surface parking spaces at Center Parc Stadium’s Green Lot, which GSU officials have said the standalone parking garage preemptively replaced. The location is also meant to be easily accessible via Panthers shuttle bus service for GSU students, faculty, and staff. The Sun Belt Conference team currently plays home games 12 miles east of GSU’s campus in Panthersville, at a 500-seat venue with few amenities, portable bleachers, a small press box, and flooding issues, GSU officials have said. GSU’s softball team also plays in Panthersville, but at the Bob Heck Softball Complex—facilities considered “top-notch.”The GSU stadium site’s context (with the commemorative Aaron wall marker) shown prior to Summerhill’s Publix opening across the street. Google MapsAccording to GSU, the baseball project is being paid for with GSU Athletic Association gifts, in addition to GSU Foundation funds and gifts.Naming partners for the stadium and its playing field are expected to be announced once approved by the University System of Georgia Board of Regents, per GSU. “This stadium represents more than just a place to play baseball,” said GSU president M. Brian Blake in a statement last month. “It connects Georgia State to Atlanta’s sports legacy and creates a vibrant future for our program and community.”Swing up to the gallery for more context and images. **…**Follow us on social media:Twitter / Facebook/and now: Instagram  • Flashback: Recalling the ‘before’ version of Summerhill’s vibrant strip (Urbanize Atlanta)Tags565 Hank Aaron DriveGeorgia State Baseball StadiumGeorgia State Softball StadiumGSUGeorgia State UniversityCenter Parc Credit UnionGeorgia AvenuePublixAtlanta BaseballCollege BaseballCollege SoftballGeorgia State PanthersSLAMAtlanta StadiumsAtlanta-Fulton County StadiumAtlanta BravesAtlanta FalconsAtlanta ChiefsPeach Bowl1996 OlympicsAtlanta DevelopmentAtlanta ConstructionSummerhill NewsGeorgia State University NewsVan WagnerSunbelt ConferenceMARTA Rapid A-LineAtlanta Bus Rapid TransitUniversity System of Georgia Board of RegentsImagesThe GSU stadium site’s context (with the commemorative Aaron wall marker) shown prior to Summerhill’s Publix opening across the street. Google MapsOverview of the baseball stadium project, with views to Mercedes-Benz Stadium and downtown, released by GSU in December. GSU/Georgia State AthleticsOverview of stadium construction (asphalt removal) underway in the footprint of the former Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, as seen Saturday. Josh Green/Urbanize AtlantaCommemorative wall denoting location of Hank Aaron’s record-breaking 715th home run in April 1974. Josh Green/Urbanize AtlantaThe 565 Hank apartments, at left, in relation to the future GSU stadium site today. Josh Green/Urbanize AtlantaJosh Green/Urbanize AtlantaNorth view over the stadium complex toward downtown, as shown with tentative designs that included a softball field next door. Courtesy of SLAM architectureA 2023 concept for GSU’s project, which will be located just north of the former Turner Field, now GSU football’s Center Parc Credit Union Stadium. Courtesy of SLAM architectureSubtitleIn works for a decade, $15M facilities to rise where Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium stoodNeighborhoodSummerhillBackground ImageImageBefore/After ImagesSponsored PostOff

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