Rio Shopping Center
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The Rio Shopping Center was a 120,000-square-foot (11,000 m2) open-air shopping center in Atlanta. It was located at the southeast corner of Piedmont Avenue and North Avenue in the northwesternmost part of what is now the Old Fourth Ward, at its border of SoNo and Midtown Atlanta. It was designed by Arquitectonica in postmodern style, landscaped by Martha Schwartz[1] and opened in the Fall of 1988.[2] It was the first free-standing complex of its kind to be built in central Atlanta in more than twenty years.
The architectural style was postmodern incorporating whimsical (also called kitsch or pop art) elements such as a fountain with gold colored frog sculptures. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution criticized what it termed Arquitectonica's "compromises".[3] Rio had a 25-screen video wall playing a variety of video, from television shows to a specially commissioned site-specific artwork. The custom design of the video wall, the installation and the programming was completed by Visioneering® International, Inc.[4] Stores and services included Benetton, Camp Beverly Hills, Enrico's, High Country Outfitters, Carmine's, Coyote Cafe, Patio Hut Cafe, Wolf Camera, Tic-Tac-Toe T-shirts and The Crab House.[2][5]
