For years, there had been talk of building a civil rights museum in Atlanta, but no decisions had been made as to where it would be, what it would include and how much it would cost.

One of those questions was answered today when the chairman and chief executive officer of the Coca-Cola Company, Neville Isdell, said it would donate 2.5 acres of land for the project in the heart of the downtown tourist district.

The land, which Mr. Isdell said was valued at $8 million to $11 million, is part of a downtown parcel that includes the city’s new aquarium and the new World of Coca-Cola, to open next May. The hope is that the aquarium, which has had more than three million visitors since it opened last November, will boost traffic for the area’s other attractions, including CNN and Centennial Olympic Park.