Henri Jova Atlanta Architect and Midtown Pioneer Dies at 92

As reported in the Atlanta Business Chronicle, Henri Jova passed away at the age of 92 at his West Palm Beach home on January 13th. 

Here is a portion of the story:

One of Atlanta’s greatest architects, Henri Jova, 94, died on Jan. 13 in West Palm Beach, Fla. after a short illness, according to his partner of 42 years, David Rinehart.

A celebration of his life is planned at the Atlanta Botanical Garden on Thursday, April 3 beginning at 5 pm.

Although Jova’s contributions to Atlanta’s architectural fabric was significant, his overall impact on the city went far deeper than his striking designs.

He was the pioneering presence who led the renaissance of both the Midtown neighborhood as well as its once-decrepit business district.

Jova designed Colony Square — a mixed-use development that was revolutionary when it was designed in the early 1970s.

It was the first modern project in Atlanta to combine office, retail, hotel and residential as part of one high-rise complex — a development that struggled initially leading some to believe that it had been built ahead of its time.

But Jova also lived his belief in Midtown. At a time when significant disinvestment was occurring throughout the central city, Jova bought and renovated several properties at the nexus of Seventh Street and Mentelle Drive in the heart of Midtown. It became Jova’s compound — a modern, yet sensitive, interpretation of the residential style that Midtown was to embrace in decades to come.

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