State officials have let a former Coca-Cola building in downtown Atlanta sit empty after buying it for $1.1 million instead of following through on plans to turn it into a state history museum.

The General Assembly has killed funding to start work on building the museum twice since the state bought the property six years ago.

State lawmakers allocate minimal funding to preserve the building, which is near Underground Atlanta. The cost of turning the building into a museum jumped from $12.4 million the year the state bought the property to $17.3 million in 2011. The figure is expected to continue growing.

Georgia is one of the few original 13 colonies that doesn't have a state museum.

Tags: Atlanta, General Assembly, state museum, Georgia History, state history museum, old coca-cola building