ATLANTA — Cleanup is underway at the College Football Hall of Fame Saturday morning.
The popular Atlanta attraction was damaged and looted during violent protests in Atlanta on Friday night, Atlanta police confirmed in a statement.
Kimberly Beaudin, CEO of the College Football Hall of Fame, told WSB-TV that no one got away with anything from inside the museum.
“We inspected everything. None of the artifacts or treasures were damaged," she told the news station. “The interior of the building is in tact.”
But there’s no question a lot of damage was done. Beaudin assessed the damage Saturday morning.
Glass from the front doors could be seen scattered on the ground as well as tipped over merchandise displays in the gift shop.
The College Football Hall of Fame is next to Centennial Olympic Park and a just a few blocks away from the CNN Center, where Friday’s protests later turned to riots.
People smashed the front windows of the Hall of Fame’s gift shop with garbage cans and other objects to get inside, where they took items from the shop.
“All the damage appears to be contained to the front of the store. Obviously, the store was looted," Beaudin said. “Some damage to the glass on the field, but primarily the store. It’s physical damage to property that we will fix.”
The CEO said crews will work to secure the building and then start repairs to prepare the hall to reopen. The hall has been closed since March 16 and was in the process of enacting plans to reopen.
“We will get it restored and get it open as soon as possible," she said.
Beaudin added that she is heartbroken not only to see the damage at the hall but also to the city of Atlanta.
“We completely support the right for peaceful protest. This, unfortunately, just turned into chaos and disorder so quickly," she told WSB-TV.
Cox Media Group
