Places of Pride
Places of Pride define a community, and MidTown enjoys
numerous landmarks and public places that define it as a special
place to live and visit.
Aflac’s International Headquarters
Aflac, a Fortune 500 company, was founded in Columbus in 1955. Its worldwide headquarters is located on Wynnton Road in the heart of MidTown. At year-end 2011, Aflac’s assets totaled more than $117 billion with annual revenues of more than $22.2 billion. Aflac has landed on Fortune magazine’s America’s Most Admired Companies list for 11 years.
Burger King
Burger King on Wynnton Road is an outstanding example of adaptive reuse of a historic neighborhood structure. The house was built in 1924 in the Tudor Revival style. Burger King purchased the site in 1982 and renovated the house to meet the commercial demands of a national fast-food franchise, at the same time retaining much of its original residential character.
Columbus Aquatic Center
One of the anchors of the Macon Road civic and educational complex, the 57,000 square foot Columbus Aquatic Center features a 50-meter Olympic swimming pool with 10 lanes running length-wise and 20 lanes running the 25 meters across. The west end of the pool has one 3-meter and two 1-meter diving platforms above 13-feet of water. The east end tapers down to a depth of six feet. An additional 25-yard pool will be used for physical therapy, exercise and serve competitors as a warm-up and cool-down pool. The mezzanine level seats 900 spectators and the locker room has 300 lockers. The aquatic center opens in the summer of 2013.
The Columbus Museum and Olmsted Gardens
Now the second-largest art museum in Georgia, the Columbus Museum grew from the Wynnton Road residence of W.C. Bradley, an early Columbus entrepreneur and philanthropist. Brick Stonewall Miller originally built the Tuscan villa in 1912 and the firm of Frederick Law Olmstead (of Central Park, NY fame) designed the surrounding grounds and gardens. The Columbus Museum is noted today for its collections of American art and regional history.
The Columbus Public Library
The Columbus Public Library-designed by nationally-acclaimed architect Robert Stern-opened on January 3, 2005 and serves as the flagship for the Chattahoochee Valley Libraries, a five-county system comprised of Muscogee, Chattahoochee, Marion, Stewart and Quitman counties. The 100,000 square-foot library sees annual attendance of 400,000 patrons who utilize the extensive collections, research and online opportunities, and participate in community events and innovative Library workshops and programs.
CSU’s McCullers Center for Writers and Musicians
Columbus State University’s Carson McCullers Center for Writers and Musicians is dedicated to preserving the legacy of Wynnton native Carson McCullers; to nurturing American writers and musicians; to educating young people; and to fostering the literary and musical life of Columbus, the state of Georgia, and the American South.
The center operates a museum in McCuller’s childhood home on Stark Avenue in MidTown’s Wildwood Circle-Hillcrest Historic District. The Center offers tours and public programs, maintains a growing McCullers archive, and offers fellowships for writers and comp[osers who reside and work for periods of time in the Smith-McCullers home.
Dinglewood Pharmacy
Establishhed in 1918, Dinglewood Pharmacy remains a landmark of the Wynnton area and the oldest eating establishment in town. It retains its original soda fountain and, through four owners, continues to serve its distinctive scrambled dog and Dinglewood chili to successive generations of neighborhood customers.
Lakebottom Park
Weracoba Creek flows through the heart of Lakebottom Park, forty acres of urban greenspace and recreational facilities in the heart of MidTown. It is the oldest, large-scale, daily-use park in Columbus. The north end of the park-originally Wildwood Park-was built in 1890 to enhance surrounding residential development. Boating was a popular pastime until the lake was dreained in 1925, and a major portion of the original Wildwood Park became Werocoba. Today, the entire park is popularly called Lakebottom.
Leonora Sarling Fountain
Dedicated in 1929 to the memory of Leo0nora M. Sarling, the landscaped triangular park anchors the intersection of Buena Vista and Wynnton Roads and lies within the Wynn’s Hill-Overlook Historic District. The marble statue and fountain helped inspire Columbus’ “Fountain City” title
Veterans Memorial Park
Located on Buena Vista Road, Veteran’s Memorial Park was dedicated in 1996 to honor veterans of the Vietnam War.