Titanic relics surface here
Atlanta Business Chronicle - by Joanna Carabello Contributing writer
After more than eight decades in the frigid waters of the North Atlantic, relics from the most famous maritime disaster in history are rising to the surface in Atlanta.
"Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition" opens Saturday for a six-month run at the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center.
The show will feature about 300 artifacts from the wreckage and debris field of the RMS Titanic, the luxury cruise liner that sank off the coast of Newfoundland after striking an iceberg on April 14, 1912.
Relics include personal items from some of the ship's 2,200 passengers as well as pieces of the ship itself, from delicate porcelain dishes to a massive three-ton chunk of the hull.
The ship's bell, which crewmen reportedly rang as a warning after spotting the iceberg, is among the exhibit's most prominent pieces.
"It's a strong connection to the story ... it really set all of the danger of that night in motion. So it's really special to have that bell," said Arnie Geller, CEO of Atlanta-based Premier Exhibitions Inc., the parent company of RMS Titanic Inc., which formed to explore and salvage the Titanic.
RMS Titanic has salvor-in-possession rights to the wreckage because it was part of the original team that discovered and explored the ship's wreckage in 1987. The company has conducted seven research-and-recovery expeditions to the Titanic site and has retrieved about 5,500 artifacts.
"As the years have gone by for us, it's almost changed from recovery to rescue. Because of the damage caused by the ocean, some of these artifacts won't survive if they're left there," Geller said.
The Titanic artifact collection was valued at $225 million in its most recent appraisal. In addition to taking the artifacts to more than 60 cities worldwide, Premier Exhibitions also has the rights to license and sell Titanic merchandise.
In August, the company reported annual revenue of $18.8 million and a net income of $5.7 million.
While Premier's Titanic exhibits have been seen by more than 17 million people around the world, this is the first time the artifacts have come to Atlanta.
Until this year, company officials weren't sure there was a suitable venue to host the show, which occupies about 20,000 square feet of display space.
It was only after Premier's success with its "BODIES: The Exhibition" at the civic center that company officials decided the venue also would work for the Titanic exhibition.
"We were thrilled to find the venue," Geller said. "We were just happy that, as residents of Atlanta and our company being based here, we could bring our programs home. BODIES did so well that we decided to bring Titanic here."
Geller expects the Titanic show to draw as many, if not more, visitors than BODIES. About 337,000 people attended BODIES.
Hosting these two large, touring exhibits has been a boon for the struggling civic center, which lost several major events in the past year and is in the planning stages of a long-awaited redevelopment of its 18.5-acre grounds.
Among the proposals are: construction of a parking deck and an addition to the 38-year-old building to expand restrooms and create new amenities.
There are also plans to enhance property adjacent to the civic center with the construction of new residential units, restaurants and shops.
The Titanic and BODIES exhibits have opened up new opportunities for the facility, said Ann Marie Moraitakis, director of the civic center.
"The two exhibits definitely broadened our audience by giving us national and regional attention and subsequently enhanced our regular attendance, which exceeded 300,000 patrons last year," Moraitakis said.
Latest News |
