Hall of Fame AtlantaAtlanta, Georgia will be the new site of the College Football Hall of Fame which will break ground on January 28, 2013.  The announcement came just hours before the start of the Chick-fil-A Bowl held in Atlanta on New Year’s Eve.  Chick-fil-A is one of the major contributors to the project.  Georgia Governor Nathan Deal and the Mayor of Atlanta, Kasim Reed attended the announcement ceremony along with NFL Hall of Fame Quarterback Archie Manning who is Chairman of the NFF as well as answering to “Papa Bear” to two guys named Payton and Eli.

“I know firsthand the passion of southern football fans and Atlanta will be the ideal location for the new Hall of Fame” remarked Manning.

The old Hall of Fame was in South Bend, Indiana closed last week after being open there for 17 years. The various displays and memorabilia will be held in storage until the new facility is ready to go.

The new Hall of Fame building will be located near the Georgia Dome in the Centennial Olympic Park area close to down town which also boasts the World Congress Center.  The location is also near the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola Exhibit which will no doubt help boost attendance at the museum as these two attractions alone are currently bringing in over 2,500,000 million folks a year.

The new National Center for Civil and Human Rights is in the planning stages to be constructed in the same area. Atlanta Hall Management CEO John Stephenson is predicting that around one half million visitors per year will tour the new NCAA Football Museum. The new NFF facility will feature contemporary as well as historic artifacts plus interactive multimedia displays, theater and meeting facilities and children’s activities.

The projected move was announced over 3 years ago by the National Football Foundation (NFF) but fundraising issues caused several delays in actually making the move.  The original opening date was set for 2012 but has now been moved back to sometime in 2014.  The project is being funded from both the public and private sectors and right now is looking at a price tag of $66,500,000.  The structure will be 94,256 square feet and cost around $54,000,000.

The agreement between the NFF and the City of Atlanta is for 30 years.