Historic Macon announces downtown lofts project

The Historic Macon Foundation, headed by Executive Director Josh Rogers, is busy working with their newest project, revitalizing buildings in Downtown Macon into lofts available for the public.
A press conference was held on Feb. 26 at 11 a.m. in front of the site.
This project is a part of Historic Macon Foundation’s revolving fund for downtown Macon.
Historic Macon has just completed fundraising with the support of different foundations, including the 1772 Foundation, the E.J. Grassmann Trust and the Community Foundation of Central Georgia.
The goal was to meet the challenge of the Peyton Anderson Foundation and reach a fundraising goal of $500,000.
Historic Macon has been successful in their previous projects, and the lofts development seems to be just as promising.
The foundation led the revitalization project in the Beall’s Hills neighborhood and successfully completed their Huguenin Heights and Tattnall Square Heights projects.
Historic Macon also preserves and supports the Sidney Lanier Cottage House Museum and is nominating the Ingleside neighborhood to the National Register of Historic Places.
The Historic Macon Foundation continues to work on making its mark in the community and helping preserve pieces of Macon’s history.
The 3,600-square-foot space of three to four loft buildings and commercial space/stores will be located on 551 Cherry St.
These are available for sale to owners or occupants but not for rent.
The square footage of the lofts ranges between 585 sq. ft., 681 sq. ft., 725 sq. ft., and 1116 sq. ft.
The architect, Shannon Fickling, and construction manager, Rusty Poss, are working on the project with the help of the interior decorator and Historic Macon’s preservation designer, Cameron Robinson.
Construction has not begun on the lofts, so customization is available within the project, as it is still in its beginning stages.
The lofts are located off Cherry Street and near the Rookery, a great living and working area.
Jennifer Mayer, the Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator for the Historic Macon Foundation, said “Downtown is a great place to be and go for entertainment and potential residences!”
So much is going on in Downtown Macon, and foundations like Historic Macon want to rejuvenate the area while also keeping its history.
Historic Macon wants to create a core of residence in the area that will be long-lasting.
Jennifer Mayer wants Mercer students “to be aware of all the efforts in downtown Macon. It’s a great location. [The Historic Macon Foundation] is rehabilitating the buildings rather than tearing them down. We want to make them shine again.”
“Several developers down there are creating housing to rent as well,” Mayer added.
The Historic Macon Foundation is on a mission to revitalize the community and preserve the architecture already in place in Macon.
The foundations that helped finish the project’s fundraising have been described as the most helpful to this cause.
Josh Rogers said, “Our hope is to establish a core of homeowners in downtown Macon and to entice private developers to produce owner-occupied housing for the long-term stability of downtown revitalization.”
For more information, the Historic Macon Foundation is located at 935 High Street and can be contacted at 478-742-5084 or info@historicmacon.org.