1736 Magazine - Fall 2018

was so nice. It is not the same place, definitely
up and coming!”
Welcome to Augusta, circa 2018. It’s not
just the historic Augusta of your past. It’s the
exciting Augusta of your future. An almost
cosmic confluence has flowed together to
put the city on the fast track to a growing,
prosperous new day.
Across the river, North Augusta, S.C., has
already opened multi-use stadium SRP Park,
awarded 2018 ballpark of the year by both
Ballpark Digest and BaseballParks.com. Office,
hotel, retail and residential amenities are
going up all around it.
Augusta has also become ground zero for
the booming cybersecurity revolution. The
Pentagon’s ongoing consolidation of its
U.S. Army Cyber Command at nearby Fort
Gordon prompted Georgia officials to build
the $100 million Cyber Center on the Augusta
riverfront. And all of it has inspired new and
existing cyber-related industry to come to
town, which is only beginning.
The increased business and industry is
leading to more nighttime vitality, as noted by
the above social media observers. More people
are shopping, dining, dancing and enjoying
world-class entertainment downtown.
One online commenter said her son ran into
comedian Jerry Seinfeld recently while jogging
on the Augusta Riverwalk. “Downtown
Augusta can be full of surprises,” she said.
Meanwhile, new hotels are popping up,
historic buildings are being refurbished,
Augusta University is bringing lively young
students to its downtown campus – and to
the cyber center – and a new $94 million
mix of retail, office and residential offerings
is planned for the depot property along the
river between 5th and 6th streets downtown.
The historic depot will be given new life, as
downtown is given added life.
Most communities around the world would
love to be experiencing half the headway
Augusta is making. If there’s ever been a
headier, more exciting time in this grand old
city’s history, we’re hard-pressed to think of
one.
Maybe the only comparison is to the days
of the early 20th century when downtown
was abuzz and alight with multiple theaters
up and down Broad Street. But even there
we’re recapturing some of that magic with
the restored Miller Theater teaming up with
the Imperial Theatre to create a vibrant arts
district.
There’s even talk of replacing James Brown
Arena, just a few blocks away from Broad,
with a new state-of-the-art facility with
greater seating capacity and an expanded
capacity for hosting big-time acts.
Nor can we imagine a better time for 1736
– a magazine that’s all about advocating the
very kind of dynamic progress we’re seeing
emerge.
But while all this bustle makes our job
of advancing Augusta’s interests so much
easier, we can’t become complacent. Our job
as a community is to do everything possible
to maximize the amazing opportunities
knocking on the city’s door.
That’s what 1736 is for. It’s the program
with which you can follow all the action on
Augusta’s increasingly crowded stage.
So grab your program, sit back and watch
this amazing performance of a city come
alive.
1736magazine.com u 5