Just prior to the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the Decatur Square underwent its first major design improvement. The MARTA bus-to-rail transfer point moved from Church Street, where it created a terrible traffic bottleneck, to Swanton Way, where it remains today. The “Diamond” MARTA station entrance once located at the site of the bandstand was closed, and the elevator pod on the old courthouse lawn was removed.
The Decatur Bandstand became the new focal point of the Square and a focus for festivals and concerts on the Square.