The College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta was damaged during the George Floyd protests this past weekend. However, the good news is the damages are minor and the museum will be open in the very near future. Shortly after the riots on Friday, the College Football Hall of Fame took to social media to give an update on the damages the building suffered.
“We want to thank our amazing community and our fans across the country for their help today, the kind words you’ve shared, and your messages of support!” it wrote on Twitter. “Today we began the process of picking up the pieces and repairing what was lost at the College Football Hall of Fame. Thankfully our legendary artifacts and treasures remain, everything else we can replace. We look forward to welcoming you back soon!”
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While the College Football Hall of Fame didn’t suffer any serious damages, that doesn’t mean CEO Kimberly Beaudin wasn’t scared. She recently talked to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution this weekend and said she was ready to examine the damages as soon as she could. “Obviously I am very passionate about the Hall of Fame, it is a second home for me, so watching it I was afraid,” she said. “I was afraid for all of us. I was afraid for the Hall and anxious to get down here and see for myself.”
Beaudin said she was at the College Football Hall of Fame at 7 a.m. Saturday morning to inspect the damage. She said although the artifacts inside the building were safe, she was upset to see that the gift shop was ruined. She said seeing the damages was “heartbreaking” but “The extent of the damage is the retail store and glass breakage.”
The College Football Hall of Fame opened in 2014 after being in South Bend, Indiana, for a number of years. It’s now located in the heart of downtown Atlanta, placed near Centennial Olympic Park, the Georgia Aquarium, the World of Coca-Cola, the CNN Center and the National Center of Civil and Human Rights. It’s also located near Georgia Tech and 70 miles away from the University of Georgia. Along with the artifacts and the gift shop, the College Football Hall of Fame includes a 45-yard indoor football field and helmets of every team in Division I FBS, FCS, Division II, Division III and NAIA.
