Brothers share vision for an esports center in former Shrine Temple in downtown Macon

Atlanta developers and brothers David and Barry Branch were in town this week to take an esports consultant and a few others through the former Al Sihah Shrine Temple in downtown Macon.

The brothers are founding partners of Artisan Interests, a joint venture between Atlanta-based Winter Companies, which specializes in commercial construction, and SSG Realty Partners, which offers comprehensive land investment advisory services.

Artisan Interests recently purchased the 1920s-era Egyptian-themed Shrine Temple for about $1.5 million with plans of leading its transformation into an esports arena complimented by a 125-plus key limited-service hotel and 400-space parking deck.

The brothers also talked with a Telegraph reporter and videographer about how they believe Artisan Interests is uniquely qualified to make the project a success.

The firm acquires, assembles, entitles, finances, markets and provides infrastructure construction/installation for its all-equity land investment/land development projects.

In addition to their experience and expertise, the brothers noted that the former Shrine Temple property was purchased without incurring any debt and that by owning the property, they have the luxury to take their time with the development. They also noted their proximity to the project from Atlanta as part of their recipe for success.

They also shared more details about their vision for the 1-acre site at 745 Poplar St. The conceptual master plan for the project was created by Nelson Worldwide, an international architectural firm.

Esports arena

The plan calls for renovating and adapting the 34,791-square-foot stone and brick building for esports tournaments with arena-type seating.

The esports arena would be located in what is now a 9,700 square foot ballroom that has a 27-foot ceiling and a balcony, David Branch said. It would be equipped with the latest technology and sound systems and include a stage area, he said.

The space could be rented for concerts when not in use for esports tournaments, Barry Branch noted.

Hieroglyphics and images now etched along the walls of the former Shrine Temple may or may not remain depending on what the “vertical partners” — the anticipated hotel developer/operator and esports operator — have in mind, David Branch said.

A cafe offering salads, sandwiches, coffee, beignets and such is envisioned for the second floor near what’s now the Poplar Street entrance, David Branch said. Rooms on the third floor would become individual gaming rooms.

A bar may be located on the second or third floor, Barry Branch said.

The third floor would include a kitchen as well as large meeting room spaces available for the planned hotel and for community rental, he said.

The hotel

Windows in the ballroom facing Cherry Street Lane overlook the roof of where the first floor of the rectangular former Shrine Temple building extends to Cherry Street Lane. That part of the building would come down for construction of a four to five story hotel with 125 to 145 rooms, the brothers said.

The hotel is envisioned to extend along the “L” shaped property from the back of what would become the esports arena and along Cherry Street Lane toward New Street.

The planned parking deck could be located below the hotel or near it, with the brothers also looking at a parking area across Cherry Street Lane and along New Street they said is now owned by Macon-Bibb County.

According to an aerial view of the property the brothers shared, the hotel lobby would be located at the corner of Rosa Parks Square and Cherry Street Lane.

The entrance would face the park and Hotel Forty Five, a 94-room hotel that’s expected to open in 2022, Barry Branch said.

The hotel tower would extend along Cherry Street Lane, with parking on the property on the side nearest Poplar Street behind an existing vacant building, the aerial view map shows.

A parking service area would also fill up the property on the New Street side of the hotel, and the parking deck would be located on the property now owned by Macon-Bibb, the aerial view map shows.

However, the site could also accommodate the parking deck below the hotel without the additional parking across Cherry Street Lane, Barry Branch said.

While Artisan Interests will offer up its conceptual master plan to a potential hotel developer/operator and an esports operator, that plan remains fluid and there are a lot of moving parts, the brothers stressed.

Next step

David Branch said they’re now talking with three potential hotel developers.

The next step in their timeline is development of a team that would include a hotel developer, an esports operator and Artisan Interests team members, he said.

They expect to have that team in place by the first quarter of 2022, with construction expected to begin on the project the same year.

The brothers also talked about how competitive electronic gaming has become more than a 150 billion global market. According to the Georgia Department of Economic Development, digital entertainment is a $550 million industry for the state, connected to more than 12,000 direct and indirect jobs. Also, Mercer University has at least one esports club team.

California-based Epic Venues previously purchased the property in 2018 for $1.2 million with the intent of turning it into an event facility.

This story was originally published October 28, 2021 at 5:00 AM.