FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 13, 2010
Contact: Daniel Groce Tel. 478/742-5084 E-mail: dgroce@historicmacon.org
HISTORIC MACON REQUESTS MAJOR EXPANSION OF SHIRLEY HILLS HISTORIC DISTRICT (Macon, GA) Macon could soon have 269 more reasons to brag about its historic architecture. Historic Macon Foundation submitted a request Monday (Sept. 13) to the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) to add more than 250 buildings in the Shirley Hills Historic District to the National Register of Historic Places, increasing the district size 500 percent to encompass approximately 250 acres. A Community Foundation of Central Georgia grant provided the funds to hire Chris Howard, a Tulane University-educated preservationist, to coordinate the expansion of the district. “We nominated houses that were not included in the original 1991 National Register designation because they were not old enough at the time, while others fell outside the limited borders of the original district,” said Historic Macon Foundation Executive Director Josh Rogers. The borders of the expanded district will stretch north to include Waverland Drive, Waverland Circle, Twin Pines Drive, and Hawthorne Road as well as other tributary roads. SHPO will review Historic Macon’s submission, then submit it for final approval to the National Park Service. Few changes or amendments are expected, said Rogers. Shirley Hills developed between 1922 and 1965 on land owned by A.O. Bacon, a Georgia legislator and U.S. Senator. The neighborhood features houses of many different architectural styles including Colonial Revival, Classical Revival, Tudor Revival, Georgian Revival, Italian Renaissance, French Renaissance, Mission and Spanish Colonial Revival, Bungalow, Craftsman, Neoclassical Revival and English Vernacular. “Many of the houses were designed by Macon’s best architects including Ellamae Ellis League,” Rogers noted. “Among the buildings we anticipate will be added to the National Register are Georgia’s best examples of the increasingly popular “ranch house style,” many of which have already been surveyed and documented by the SHPO.”
As a testament to the quality and durability of Shirley Hills’ houses, resident Gloria McAfee Wynn recently noted that she and her two immediate neighbors live in the same homes that heir parents originally built. Wynn didn’t inherit her house directly, but instead had to acquire what had been her parents’ house on the open market, Rogers pointed out. Another Shirley Hills resident, Sara Beth Hertwig, shared a similar story. She and her husband built their home in 1965 only to sell it, move away for many years and return to purchase it once again. “Shirley Hills historic homes seem to have cast a spell on these and many other neighbors and it’s not hard to imagine their enchantment after a short drive through the district,” Rogers said. To help explore the soon to be expanded district, Historic Macon has created an interactive, user-friendly map, which it launched Monday (Sept. 13) on its website with the other historic districts in Macon to follow in the months ahead. “This project helps Historic Macon continue showcasing the beautiful properties and great quality of life in Macon,” said Howard, who spent three months documenting the history and architectural details of each of the 410 structures. “It is important that we highlight these historic homes so that citizens of Macon will cherish them for many years to come.” “These additions to the national Register will increase the number of listed buildings to nearly 6,500,” Rogers noted. “Every Maconite should be very proud to live in such a beautiful, diverse city, said Historic Macon Board President Jeff Logan. “Shirley Hills is an example of this beauty.” “Listing on the National Register of Historic Places is not only a tremendous honor, it also makes incentives available to property owners to help them care for these buildings such as a property tax freeze and state income tax credits worth 15 percent of the rehabilitation work,” Rogers noted. “These incentives help preserve the original neighborhood.” Historic Macon is a nonprofit organization that advocates for Macon’s historic and architectural heritage and facilitates preservation efforts in the community. For more information, visit www.historicmacon.org or call 478.742.5084. ###