Historic Macon shows off new Beall’s Hill homes

Four gleaming new homes stand on Ash Street in Macon directly across from boarded-up, old houses.

The new homes are the work of the Historic Macon Foundation, and Sunday an open house was held in hopes of finding buyers. A steady stream of people came in to check out the houses, built in the style of historic homes, including high ceilings and wood floors. The homes, built on vacant lots, range in price from $132,500 to $198,500.

Lauren Mauldin, who was showing the homes, said she believes the homes will sell because of the ongoing efforts to revitalize the entire neighborhood.

“Historic Macon is committed to this neighborhood and seeing it thrive and succeed,” she said. “In time we will proceed throughout the neighborhood and continue development.”

The open house also included a new home nearby on Calhoun Street. Next to it is a home that sat vacant for 40 years that Historic Macon is restoring. The Ash Street homes are side by side between Jackson and Calhoun streets.

Mercer University is providing a big incentive for its employees to buy the homes. People who work for Mercer can get up to $20,000 toward a down payment.

Joey Tant, a technology specialist at Mercer, was checking out the homes with his fiancee, Heather Comer. They said they liked the homes a lot but a drawback for them is that they have four dogs, and the homes didn’t have much backyard space.

However, he said they might be able to make one of the Ash Street homes work and he didn’t rule it out. They are also looking at other homes Historic Macon has restored in Beall’s Hill.

Tant said he is not especially deterred about investing in a new home right across from blighted homes.

“Obviously some people are trying to put in effort to make the neighborhood nicer, so we might as well get in while that is happening instead of waiting for everything to be done,” he said.

Susannah Maddux, a new member to the Historic Macon board, came out Sunday because she had not seen the homes.

“I think that it’s really special and meaningful to see a block of houses completed together, and the sense of what this can feel like in this neighborhood,” she said. “I can see they are all thoughtfully designed for this neighborhood.”

The revitalization of Beall’s Hill, comprising 32 blocks, began in 2001. More than $20 million has been invested, including grants and state and federal money. The Knight Foundation gave a $1.8 million grant and a $1.2 million low interest loan.

This story was originally published May 15, 2016 at 6:21 PM with the headline "Historic Macon shows off new Beall’s Hill homes."