You’ve probably seen it. If you’ve ever been stuck in that specific brand of North Avenue crawl or looked up while walking toward the North Avenue MARTA station, 590 West Peachtree Street is hard to miss. It’s a massive, glass-clad presence. But honestly, most people just call it the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield building and move on. That’s a mistake.
There is a lot more happening at 590 West Peachtree Street than just corporate health insurance paperwork. It represents a pivot point in how Atlanta actually functions. This isn't just another office box; it’s a $150 million bet on a version of Midtown that didn’t exist twenty years ago.
The architectural shift you probably missed
When Portman Holdings decided to develop this site, they weren't just looking for floor space. They were looking at a hole in the skyline. For a long time, this specific pocket of Midtown felt a bit... disconnected? It was that weird transition zone between the high-density core and the highway.
Then came the "Coda" effect.
Because 590 West Peachtree Street sits right in the shadow of Tech Square, it had to be more than just "fine." The design, handled by the folks at HKS, focuses on this sleek, vertical transparency. It’s 21 stories of high-performance glass. If you stand at the base and look up, the building feels like it’s leaning into the street. It’s aggressive but clean.
The floor plates are huge. We are talking about roughly 32,000 square feet per floor. In the world of commercial real estate, that’s a "pancake" layout. It allows for those open-concept tech offices where you can see your coworker from 100 yards away. It’s designed for collaboration, which sounds like a buzzword, but in practice, it just means fewer walls and more natural light hitting the middle of the room.
Why Anthem chose this specific corner
Anthem didn’t just pick 590 West Peachtree Street because the rent was right. They moved their IT hub here. This is crucial. By planting their flag here, they signaled that they aren't just an insurance company anymore—they are a tech company that happens to do insurance.
They wanted to be near Georgia Tech.
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The proximity to the Georgia Institute of Technology is the "secret sauce" for 590 West Peachtree Street. You have a constant stream of some of the brightest engineering minds in the country graduating literally across the street. If you are Anthem, and you need 3,000 people to build your next-generation AI health platforms, you go where the talent is already walking to lunch.
It’s about gravity.
Midtown has become this gravitational center for Fortune 500 innovation centers. Google is down the street. Microsoft is nearby. NCR is right there. 590 West Peachtree Street is part of that cluster. It’s an ecosystem. When one company moves in, it makes it safer for the next one. This isn't just about real estate; it's about the "density of intellect," a phrase city planners love to toss around but that actually matters here.
The "Hidden" features of the building
Most people see the glass. They don't see the infrastructure. 590 West Peachtree Street is a LEED Silver certified beast. That matters for the bottom line because cooling a glass tower in an Atlanta summer is a nightmare.
The building features a high-efficiency HVAC system and specialized glazing on the windows to keep the heat out while letting the light in. There’s also the fitness center and the rooftop terrace. Those aren't just perks. In 2026, if an office building doesn't have a place for people to get some air without hitting the pavement, it’s considered obsolete.
And let's talk about the parking.
Atlanta is still a driving city, despite our best efforts. The parking deck at 590 West Peachtree is integrated, but the building is also "transit-oriented." Being a literal stone's throw from the MARTA station means half the workforce doesn't even have to touch the Connector. That is a massive competitive advantage when you are trying to hire people who live in Decatur or East Point and hate traffic.
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The controversy of the "Midtown Wall"
Not everyone loves the look of 590 West Peachtree Street. There’s a valid argument from some urbanists that we are building a "wall" of glass along the highway. Some critics say these buildings feel sterile at the street level.
If you walk by at 6:00 PM, it can feel a bit quiet.
The challenge for 590 West Peachtree and its neighbors is the "human scale." While the tower is a marvel, the street-level experience is still catching up. There’s retail space designed into the base, but getting the right mix of coffee shops and services to make it feel like a neighborhood rather than a "district" is the next hurdle.
However, the sheer number of people working in that building—roughly 3,000 Anthem employees—provides the "feet on the street" that local businesses need to survive. It’s a trade-off. You get the density, but you lose some of that old, gritty Atlanta character.
What most people get wrong about the location
People often think 590 West Peachtree Street is "Downtown." It’s not. It’s "South Midtown."
This distinction is huge for taxes, zoning, and identity. This area used to be a "no man's land" of parking lots and low-rise brick buildings. Now, it’s the high-tech corridor. The transformation of West Peachtree Street from a one-way speedway into a multi-modal street with bike lanes is still a work in progress, but the building was designed with that future in mind.
The bike room at 590 West Peachtree is actually better than some of the gyms I've seen. They are betting on a future where people bike from the BeltLine, through the 10th Street corridor, and right into their office.
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Looking toward the future of 590 West Peachtree Street
As we move further into 2026, the role of 590 West Peachtree Street is shifting again. With hybrid work being the "new normal," the building has had to adapt. It’s no longer just a place to sit at a desk. It’s a destination.
Anthem has been using the space for "sprint weeks" and massive collaborative events. The building’s design—specifically those wide-open floor plates I mentioned earlier—is what makes this possible. You can reconfigure a whole floor in a weekend.
Is it the most beautiful building in Atlanta? That’s subjective. But is it one of the most functional? Absolutely.
It serves as a benchmark for how to do a "build-to-suit" corporate headquarters right. Portman Holdings knew what they were doing when they broke ground. They didn't just build an office; they built an anchor.
Actionable steps for visiting or doing business here
If you are headed to 590 West Peachtree Street, don't just wing it.
- Take MARTA: Seriously. The North Avenue station is right there. The walk is less than three minutes.
- Check the Security Protocols: Like most high-profile corporate hubs, you aren't just walking into the elevator. Have your ID ready and make sure your host has registered you in the system.
- Explore Tech Square: Since you're already there, walk a block over to Fifth Street. This is where the actual "energy" of the area is. Grab a coffee at Starbucks or a sandwich at any of the local spots to see the students and CEOs mingling.
- Parking Hack: If you have to drive, the entrance to the deck is on the side. It’s tight. If you have a massive SUV, be patient.
590 West Peachtree Street is more than just a pin on a map. It’s a testament to Atlanta’s ability to reinvent itself. It’s a piece of the puzzle that turned a sleepy Southern city into a global tech hub. Whether you love the glass aesthetic or miss the old parking lots, you can't deny the impact this single address has had on the city's trajectory.
The next time you’re stuck in traffic on the Connector, look over at that wall of glass. There’s a whole lot of the future being built inside.
Practical Next Steps
- Assess Transit Options: If you are a business looking to lease in the area, prioritize the proximity to MARTA as a key employee retention tool.
- Monitor the Tech Square Expansion: Keep an eye on the "Phase 3" developments nearby, as they will likely increase the property value and foot traffic around 590 West Peachtree.
- Review the LEED Standards: For developers, 590 West Peachtree serves as a case study in how Silver certification can reduce long-term operational costs in the humid Georgia climate.