After restoration, the Battle of Atlanta cyclorama painting is set to reopen to the pulblic in February at the Atlanta History Center.

After restoration, the Battle of Atlanta cyclorama painting is set to reopen to the pulblic in February at the Atlanta History Center. / Flickr

Atlanta's cyclorama is back. The 18,000-square foot spectacle was looking faded and anachronistic by 2011 when the city considered scrapping it. Instead, the 360-degree image of the Battle of Atlanta is being restored, and it will reopen at the Atlanta History Center in February.
 
Jack Hitt, the Peabody Award-winning journalist, author and co-host of the "Uncivil" podcast, joined us with his personal reflections on the cyclorama as well as some revisions of common beliefs about the painting. 

"On Second Thought" host Virginia Prescott speaks with Jack Hitt.

Hitt's article about the cyclorama painting and its restoration is in the December 2018 issue of Smithsonian Magazine. 

Tags: atlanta history  uncivil  jack hitt  cyclorama  Battle of Atlanta  civil war  Augusta  Atlanta  Georgia  Macon