The Great Tree at Lenox Square

Photo of Rich's @ Lenox Sq. before the name change to Macy's

(now The Great Tree at Macy's.) is a large (70 to 90-foot tall) cut pine Christmas tree that has been an Atlanta tradition since 1948. [1] That year, the Rich's department store put a large pine tree atop its downtown store, lighting it on Thanksgiving night. The idea was conceived by head of advertising, Frank Pallotta. Later, the tree was perched over a seven-story "Crystal Bridge" that connected the original Rich's department store with a new building addition on the opposite side of Forsyth Street. With the tree on the roof of the complex, combined with its tall height, the Great Tree truly was great and could be seen for tens of miles outside the downtown district of Atlanta. It was visible for decades, well into the early 1970s, but as the city grew with new, taller skyscrapers, the view of the Great Tree became more obscured in its last two decades at the downtown store.

As the tree became an Atlanta tradition, more was added to the display to create an attraction in its own right. This included Santa's Workshop, complete with "Reindeer" on loan from the Stone Mountain Park Petting Zoo that parents and children would walk through on the way to visit with Santa Claus. Also, inside the store, was Santa's 'Secret Shop'. Off-limits to the adults, childern entered an enclosed mini shopping area. With money vouchers in-hand, we bought gifts for parents and everyone! All of this spirit of Christmas started at the street level with wonderfull animated window displays. The goal of course...for us kids... whatever the current 'home', was the Pink Pig!. The undeniable star of Rich's, the Pink Pig, a carnival ride of sorts that was a miniature monorail sized for children. Adults would be hard-pressed to fit inside the enclosed cars that the children sat in as the ride operated. The original ride 'flew' from the ceiling of the toy department. Later, it moved to a Christmas village outside the building that surrounded the Great Tree. [Ed et all Q. I remember inside/outside but not both at once.] and once the Pig returned indoors, it "flew" over the toy department before returning to its starting point. The original pink Pig was named Priscilla. A second pig, named Percival was later added to meet the high demand to ride the pig. After completing their journey, riders got a sticker that said "I rode the Pink Pig" that became a badge of honor.

The ride moved to the Festival of Trees in the 1990s, and resided at the Atlanta History Center. The ride was resurrected in 2004 when it reappeared at Rich's Lenox Square Mall, the new location for the Great Tree. It should be noted that the new version of the Pink Pig is a conventional train ride with a miniature pink pig (locomotive) pulling a set of pink child-sized passenger cars at ground level, instead of the original monorail design. I suspect the original monorail was retired due to modern safety and liability issues as well as the probability that because the original monorail system was so old it could not be maintained as a viable and safe children's ride.

During the time The Great Tree was at the downtown Rich's store, it was undeniably the biggest Christmas-time attraction in the Southeastern United States. Parents from around the South brought their children to downtown Atlanta expressly to experience this attraction and have their picture taken with the Rich's Santa Claus. The waiting lines to ride the Pig and to see Santa very much compare to the lines that we see today where people stand for hours to ride one of the popular amusement park rides in today's theme parks. Millions of children and their parents made the annual migration during its tenure. Today in the 21st Century, when people try to prove how "Southern" they are, one of the most proudest claims to that right is that they rode The Pink Pig Monorail at the Downtown Rich's department store. The Pink Pig was an immensely popular attraction in its own right. Decades after the original Pink Pig was retired, many Atlanta natives who rode the pig as children fondly reminisce about their rides in the pig. The ride inspired the book I Rode the Pink Pig: Atlanta's Favorite Christmas Tradition.