2013 PRESERVATION AWARD NOMINEES Historic Macon Foundation has given preservation awards since its creation in 2003 by the merger of the Middle Georgia Historical Society and Macon Heritage Foundation. The purpose of the awards is to recognize preservation efforts in Middle Georgia, with a specific focus on providing inspiration. The awards will be presented at Historic Macon's annual meeting in May. For the first time ever, Historic Macon is inviting its current and active members to vote for their favorite projects. The project with the most votes will receive the Member's Choice Award. The 2013 annual meeting and awards ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 9 at 5:30 p.m. at the Historic Douglass Theatre. To vote for your favorite project, visit www.historicmacon.org/annual-awards and click on the link to vote. Voting will be open until Monday, April 29, 2013 at 5:00 p.m. Nominee Dure-Waxelbaum House Elizabeth Reed Building Guy Hilsman House Lofts at Mercer Village Magnolia Street Raines-Carmichael House Rock Candy Tours Signature Dentistry Tattnall Square Park Taylor Furniture Telephone Exchange Lofts 128 Buford Place
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Dure-Waxelbaum House, 618 College St. • Residential Rehabilitation
Prior to rehabilitation Kay and Matt McKenna set out on an ambitious rehabilitation of 618 College St. in 2010 with the goal of moving in as their primary residence. The house was constructed in 1909 by Leon Dure from property sold off from the former Georgia Academy for the Blind estate. The Lewis Waxelbaum family occupied the home for many decades. The McKennas hired Gerhardt construction to undertake a complete update of the home including new kitchen, baths, conversion of a master suite, restoration of the clay barrel tile roof, and rehabilitation of the carriage house apartments, all completed under the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation to preserve the significance of the home. Nearly three years of work came to fruition as the couple moved in to the home in late March 2013. Elizabeth Reed Building, 557 Cherry St. • Residential Rehabilitation
Prior to rehabilitation The building at 557 Cherry St. is typical of downtown Macon’s historic commercial buildings. Constructed ca. 1870, the masonry framed two story building hosted Van’s Café, Wilson’s Restaurant, New Arcade Billiard’s, Rivalry’s on Cherry and Liz Reed’s Music Hall. Derelict and abandoned, Dr. Madalyn Davidoff acquired the building in 2007. (continued on page 3)
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Piedmont Construction completed rehabilitation in 2012 according to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and Cherry St. Hookah signed a lease and opened business. Don’t miss the improvements to the rear deck and parking lot seen from the alley. Guy Hilsman House, 1606 Lawton Ave. • Residential Rehabilitation
Prior to rehabilitation Brent and Andrea Meyer purchased the historic home at 1606 Lawton Ave. in April of 2012. Part of the desirable Huguenin Heights neighborhood, a previous owner’s attempts at rehabilitation had failed, leaving the home uninhabitable. The Meyers hired Tony Butler Construction to complete a Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation-qualified rehabilitation of the home from top to bottom. The 1896 home, with its interesting front porch and stick-style fretwork trim, is in good hands as the Meyer family calls the restored Hilsman House home. Lofts at Mercer Village, Phases I and II, 1600 block Montpelier Ave. Commercial Revitalization
Phase I completed The $13 million Lofts at Mercer Village represents the largest investment in College Hill in decades. First imagined in a community design charrette in 2009, developer Jim Daws with Sierra Development hired contractor Piedmont Construction to build the project, (continued on page 4)
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which included 13,750sf of retail space on the ground floor and student housing above. The project adds value to the adjacent historic neighborhoods by increasing walkable amenities such as Jittery Joe’s, Francar’s Wings, Ingleside Village Pizza, William Alexander Salon, Designer Tan, Barnes and Noble Bookstore, Fountain of Juice and Margarita’s Grill. The project prevents the subdivision of historic homes in apartments by housing students in a more suitable loft-style setting, preserving the balance between Mercer University and the surrounding homeowners. Magnolia Street • Neighborhood Revitalization Magnolia Street has been undergoing radical social and physical improvements in recent years. Several individual projects on the street have received preservation awards, but those individual awards do not fully capture the spirit of revitalization making these few blocks one of Macon’s most desirable. Magnolia Street has the largest density of College Hill Façade Loan recipients, representing homeowners making major investments in the exterior of their properties. In addition, recent private rehabilitation efforts have seen over $300,000 invested on the street. Perhaps most exciting is the level of commitment of the neighbors shown by taking over the 1,000-attendee annual Soap Box Derby and making it even better. Magnolia Street derbys together, Second Sunday Brunches together, porch parties together and revitalizes Macon together. Raines-Carmichael House, 1183 Georgia Ave. • Residential Stewardship
Photo by Walter Elliott for A Tour Through Time, www.walterelliott.com While it is easy to recognize the efforts of owners who save endangered properties from demolition, it is unfortunately also easy to forget the efforts of owners who maintain significant properties in excellent condition for decades. The Oliver family, headed by matriarch Mrs. Lee P. Oliver, Jr., has made a multi-generational commitment to the preservation and care of the ca. 1848 William Ranlett-designed home, one of only two National Historic Landmark homes in Macon (the other being the Hay House nearby). It takes the whole community to care for the Hay House, but the Oliver family bears this responsibility with pride for the Raines-Carmichael House.
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Rock Candy Tours • Stewardship Jamie Weatherford, Jessica Walden and Ruth Sykes head up private tour group Rock Candy Tours. The group has hosted 2,100 locals and tourists alike on about 350 fun and educational tours of Macon’s rich music history. In addition, the group maintains an educational Facebook page with regular updates and highlights about Macon’s significant musical heritage. Rock Candy Tours is a steward of Macon’s music heritage through these efforts. Education about our city’s significance is the basis of all historic preservation efforts, and Rock Candy Tours is engaging new demographics in a cool format with under-recognized history from Macon’s past. Signature Dentistry, 1495 Forsyth St. • Commercial Revitalization
After reconstruction Constructed in 1948, the former Downtown Tavern location sat vacant and abandoned for nearly ten years. In 2010, efforts at saving the building failed, leaving it partially demolished and open to the elements. In June of 2012, Dr. Amber Lawson acquired the building with an ambitious plan to reconstruct the building as her office for Signature Dentistry. Using her own designs, Dr. Lawson constructed a beautiful new masonry façade for the building, including a handsome entry porch. She rehabilitated the entire interior as a modern dental practice. Although the building had little architectural merit previously, it is now a beautiful addition to a part of our historic district in need of reinvestment. Perhaps most surprising, Aaron Burgess with Par Church Builders completed the construction in less than six months, ensuring Dr. Lawson could move in before the end of 2012. Dr. Lawson’s pioneering investments saved the building from demolition and stand to inspire further revitalization on the Forsyth St. corridor. Tattnall Square Park, 1401 Coleman Ave. • Public Park Stewardship Not many individuals take on as large a project as Dr. Andrew Silver in founding and heading-up the Friends of Tattnall Square Park. Reviving the dormant group from a century ago, the Friends have repainted the pavilion, installed a serpentine sitting wall near the playground, and planted over 200 trees in the park. The planting was the largest the park has seen since 1914! The volunteers have raised over $165,000 in private donations to beautify the nation’s 26th oldest public park. These volunteers are excellent stewards of one of Macon’s signature historic parks, and are making investments that will benefit generations of Maconites to come.
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Taylor Furniture, 377 Cotton Ave. • Commercial Rehabilitation
After rehabilitation The ca. 1871 Taylor Furniture building had seen better days when it was acquired by Tony Widner in 2010. The building had been gutted on the interior, leaving only original heart pine floors and original cast iron columns in place. An inappropriate cement-board and vinyl window storefront had been installed, detracting from the building’s attractive neo-classical façade. Mr. Widner set to work to complete a Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation-qualified project to convert the building into a commercial storefront and six loft apartments. Thanks to quality work, and the surging demand for downtown housing, every unit was leased prior to completion. The project also included significant structural improvements and the conversion of the basement to rental storage units with a roll-door entry from the alley. Valued at over $1 million, the project is a significant investment by a single individual, saving a derelict and abandoned building. Telephone Exchange Lofts, 505 Second St. • Commercial Rehabilitation Built in 1904, the former Southern Telephone and Telegraph Company building is a landmark in downtown Macon. Terra cotta decoration, beautiful arched windows, and the substantial brick façade on a busy Macon corner catch the eye of thousands each day. Partially abandoned in 1942 and fully abandoned in 1980, the fate of the Telephone Exchange building was in question until Kay and Al Gerhardt purchased it in 2005. Spaces were divided into commercial and residential condos by Dunwody/Beeland Architects and Gerhardt Construction company set to work. After eight years of patient rehabilitation, the last space in the building was completely rehabilitated this year. The innovative nature of this project, the significance of the building, and the patient investment by the Gerhardts and the subsequent condo owners make this project worthy of recognition.
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128 Buford Pl. • Residential Rehabilitation
After rehabilitation Investor, developer, builder and preservationist Tony Butler purchased the derelict bungalow at 128 Buford Place with hopes of rehabilitating and selling the property to an owner-occupant. Mr. Butler’s sensitive treatment of the exterior preserved the original design, materials and ornamentation of the Craftsman Style bungalow, a style for which the Vineville Historic District is noted. The beautifully executed project sold quickly, and a new family has settled into the house. While foreclosed properties can often attract undesirable uses to established historic neighborhoods, Mr. Butler ensured that this home was properly rehabilitated for modern use as a single family home.
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