Long before Atlanta became known for its towering skyline, a new generation of architects was quietly reshaping the city’s future—one skyscraper at a time.

Among the most influential was Cecil Abraham Alexander, Jr., an American architect whose work transformed downtown Atlanta and helped define the city’s modern identity. Through decades of commercial design, Alexander played a central role in creating landmarks that reflected Atlanta’s rapid growth and changing ambitions.

His influence extended well beyond individual buildings.

Working primarily in commercial architecture, Alexander became closely associated with FABRAP, the Atlanta-based architectural firm where many of his most significant projects took shape. The firm’s impact on the city became so substantial that it was widely recognized for helping to shape Atlanta’s skyline.

In 1985, FABRAP entered a new chapter when it became Rosser FABRAP International, later evolving into Rosser International. Even as the firm’s name changed, the architectural legacy created during Alexander’s years remained deeply woven into Atlanta’s urban landscape.

One of the most recognizable examples of that legacy rises prominently above downtown Atlanta.

Known today as the State of Georgia Building, the skyscraper stands 44 stories tall and reaches a height of 566 feet (173 meters). Completed in 1966, it immediately established itself as a symbol of the city’s expanding skyline.

At the time of its completion, the building achieved an important distinction.

It became the tallest building in the southeastern United States, reflecting both Atlanta’s economic momentum and its growing confidence as a major American city. For a decade, it remained the tallest structure in Atlanta, dominating the skyline until 1976, when the Westin Peachtree Plaza claimed the title.

The site chosen for the skyscraper also carried historical significance.

Before construction began, the location had been occupied by the Peachtree Arcade, an enclosed shopping arcade designed by A. Ten Eyck Brown in 1917. The arcade connected Peachtree Street with Broad Street, serving as a familiar part of downtown Atlanta before giving way to modern high-rise development.

The replacement of the arcade with a towering office building illustrated the dramatic transformation taking place throughout the city during the mid-twentieth century.

Another project closely connected to Alexander’s architectural career was 2 Peachtree Street.

Originally constructed as the new headquarters for the First National Bank of Atlanta, commonly known as First Atlanta, the building replaced the bank’s earlier headquarters that had been built in 1905 next door.

Its design emerged through a collaboration between FABRAP, based in Atlanta, and the New York architectural firm Emery Roth & Sons.

The partnership brought together regional experience and national expertise to create a headquarters that reflected the ambitions of one of Atlanta’s leading financial institutions.

The building’s story, however, did not end with its completion.

Corporate changes gradually reshaped its role within the city.

In 1985, First Atlanta was acquired by the holding company for Wachovia Bank. Despite the acquisition, the bank continued operating under its existing charter until 1991.

That year, changing banking laws opened the door to a significant restructuring.

Under the newly liberalized regulations, First Atlanta was merged into the charter of Wachovia Bank of Georgia, marking the end of its separate banking identity.

Soon afterward, Wachovia relocated its Georgia operations to 191 Peachtree, leaving behind the headquarters that had once symbolized the bank’s prominence.

The building then entered another chapter in its history.

2 Peachtree Street was acquired by the State of Georgia, which converted it into offices for state government operations. The transition demonstrated how major commercial buildings can evolve alongside the institutions that occupy them, serving new purposes as cities continue to change.

For Cecil Alexander, projects like these represented more than individual commissions.

They became lasting elements of Atlanta’s identity.

As the city expanded during the twentieth century, buildings designed through his work at FABRAP helped define the visual character of downtown. Office towers replaced older structures, financial institutions established new headquarters, and Atlanta increasingly projected itself as a modern metropolitan center.

Alexander’s influence was therefore measured not only in the buildings themselves but also in the skyline they collectively created.

Each project reflected a different stage in the city’s development—from replacing historic commercial spaces with soaring skyscrapers to designing corporate headquarters that later found new life as public buildings.

Today, visitors looking across downtown Atlanta still encounter the architectural legacy left by Cecil Alexander and his colleagues.

The State of Georgia Building remains a prominent feature of the skyline, while 2 Peachtree Street continues to serve the public in a different capacity than originally intended. Both stand as reminders of how architecture can evolve alongside the communities it serves.

Cecil Abraham Alexander, Jr. may be remembered primarily as a commercial architect, but his work reached far beyond office towers and corporate projects. Together with the architects of FABRAP, he helped shape the appearance of one of America’s fastest-growing cities, leaving behind landmarks that continue to define Atlanta decades after they first rose above its streets.

His career demonstrates that architecture is more than construction—it is a record of a city’s ambitions, its transformations, and the generations that continue to live and work within the spaces visionary designers create.