Legoland Discovery Center Announced for Phipps

A $12 million Legoland Discovery Center will bring a major new family attraction to Buckhead's Phipps Plaza, global leisure giant Merlin Entertainments announced Wednesday.

Merlin said the Legoland Discovery Center will open in spring 2012. Although the plans were called "conditional," the project appears going forward at full speed. The attraction is to be placed at Phipps' food court on the third floor.

“The decision by Merlin Entertainments to build a Legoland Discovery Center at Phipps Plaza, already one of our city’s premier shopping and dining centers, is another example of how Atlanta continues to lead as a tourism and convention destination,”  Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said in a statement. “The city is pleased to partner with Merlin Entertainments and Simon Property Group and welcome this exciting new attraction to our growing list of cultural, historical and family-oriented leisure activities for residents and visitors alike.”

According to Merlin's announcement, the Atlanta Development Authority played a role in streamlining the planning and permitting process. Also, Merlin's architects and the city's Bureau of Buildings worked together to determine the feasibility of placing the attraction at Phipps.

Plans and designs are  being drawn up for the site, and construction is expected to begin in July, with the attraction due to open in March 2012, the announcement said. Models for Atlanta will be made in Merlin’s specialist studios around the world and shipped in during construction. 

Merlin’s newest attraction concept, the Legoland Discovery Center will offer a fun,  interactive and educational two- to three-hour indoor experience ideal for families with children 3-10 years old, the announcement stated. 

Based on the popular Lego brick, Legoland Discovery Centers provide a range of interactive play areas including 4D cinema, master classes from the Lego master model builder, Lego rides, special party rooms for birthdays and other celebrations, and a miniuland exhibit designed to reflect the iconic buildings and skyline of each individual attraction’s location.  

The Phipps site is part of Merlin's  growth plan of launching six to seven new sites around the world each year, the announcement said. The company has 70 attractions.  

Merlin  has nine other attractions in the United States, including the Legoland California theme park opened in 2010 in Carlsbad, Calif.; Madame Tussauds wax attractions in New York, Washington, D.C., Las Vegas and Hollywood; a Legoland Discovery Center in Chicago; and Sea Life aquariums in Phoenix,  the Mall of America in Minneapolis, and alongside Legoland California.  Three more Merlin attractions are scheduled to open in the United States this year,  a Sea Life and Legoland Discovery Center in Dallas/ Fort Worth, and Legoland Florida – a major new theme park opening in Winter Haven, Fla. in October. The Florida attraction will be the second Legoland in the United States and fifth in the world.

 Glenn Earlam, managing director of Merlin’s Midway Attractions Operating Group, which includes the LDCs, said:   “The LDC concept is already successful in both Europe and elsewhere in the USA, and I know people will love it here. North America is a very important development market for Merlin; and we believe that Atlanta, and particularly Phipps Plaza, is a great location for us  Our experience has also shown that bringing together an exciting mix of retail, catering, and quality leisure attractions like the LDC creates a whole new element to a family shopping day, delivering significant incremental business to both the mall – and to the area as a whole."

Earlam said Merlin is already working with Simon Property Group, which runs Phipps Plaza as well as neighboring Lenox Square, on a number of projects in the United States. He also noted the city's support.       

“The enthusiasm with which we have been greeted in Atlanta was a key factor in our decision to come here, and we hope that this may be just the start of Merlin’s relationship with the city," his statement said. " We are aware that our plans have been the subject of much speculation over recent months; and it is true that we have looked at a number of sites not just for this project, but also for some of our other attractions.

"However getting the Legoland Discovery Center built and operational is our primary focus at the moment, and I believe that Phipps Plaza, which is already a popular destination for family visitors, is exactly the right location for it. “