New use on tap for Atlanta’s iconic The Biltmore building

Josh Green

Fri, 06/20/2025 – 13:41

For the next growth spurt at futuristic Tech Square, Georgia Tech officials are looking to a storied part of Atlanta’s past.

Georgia Tech recently announced plans to reimagine The Biltmore, a 1920s Midtown landmark originally operated as a hotel and apartments, into another facet of Tech Square that’s meant to foster innovation and launch entrepreneurs.

According to school officials, the revitalized Biltmore—aka, the Biltmore Innovation Center—will house more than 100,000 square feet of research space, startup accelerators, and offices considered crucial to Georgia Tech’s ecosystem for innovation.

Standing 11 stories at 855 W. Peachtree St., The Biltmore was originally developed in 1924 by William Candler, son of Coca-Cola executive Asa Candler, and was converted to offices in 1999. The Biltmore was acquired by the Georgia Tech Foundation in 2016, when plans first came to light for eventually incorporating it into Tech Square, which is finishing its third new-construction phase across the street for a scheduled 2026 debut.

The Biltmore’s West Peachtree Street facade in relation to Tech Square’s high-rise phase three (at left) across the street. Georgia Tech/Biltmore Innovation Center

Georgia Tech/Biltmore Innovation Center

Georgia Tech says the building’s conversion will be part of its ambitious plans to make Atlanta a top-five tech hub in the U.S. (We aren’t already?)

“This is more than a building,” said Georgia Tech president Ángel Cabrera in a prepared statement, “it’s a launchpad for Atlanta’s future.”

Specifically, plans call for the Biltmore to house the following, as described by Georgia Tech:

CREATE-X Headquarters – Georgia Tech’s flagship student startup accelerator boasting more than 600 startups already launched, a combined valuation exceeding $2.4 billion, and plans to launch 1,000 startups annually;

Quadrant-i – Turning Georgia Tech research into real-world startups by supporting inventors with guidance on finding customers, building teams, and bringing ideas to market;

Office of Technology Licensing – Helping companies around the world commercialize revolutionary research developed at Georgia Tech and accelerating the global impact of Georgia Tech innovations through strategic technology transfer;

VentureLab – Offering comprehensive entrepreneurial and commercialization training. VentureLab is home of the Southeast hub for the National Science Foundation Innovation Corps;

Startup Scaling Platform – Providing space, mentorship, programming, and funding to help scale early-stage startups from their first customer to their first 100 customers;

Corporate Engagement Office – Bringing startups and strategic industry partners together;

Venture Investment Hub – Hosting local and national venture capital firms alongside Georgia Tech and scores of locally founded startups.

No timeline for The Biltmore’s conversion was specified in a recent announcement. We’ve asked Georgia Tech officials for more details and will update this story should they come.

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