A new wedding venue and event space opens in the Macon Armory Building. See inside.

The Armory Building, with its ornate brick facade and turret standing sentry over the corner of First and Poplar streets, has been a Macon landmark for generations.

But earlier this month, the familiar building’s long-empty second floor unveiled a new look as a new event space and wedding venue opened its doors.

The Overlook on First has only been open about two weeks, but owner Kaitlyn Kressin said the new space is already seeing success as private parties and events hosted by local businesses and nonprofits book it up.

Kressin, who drew on her love for historic architecture and interior design when purchasing and decorating the space, said she hopes it can contribute to growth in downtown Macon while allowing people and organizations to celebrate in an elegant setting.

“I love bringing old spaces new life and seeing them revitalized and used again,” Kressin said. “This is just such a beautiful asset to have in our urban core.”

Kressin has loved the Armory Building for a long time. A native of Macon, the space was known as the Armory Ballroom when she was growing up. Kressin said she has fond memories of attending Christmas dances there, and remembers when Howard High School held its prom in the ballroom.

As an adult, Kressin took her passion for old buildings and turned it into a career. She’s a co-owner of both Fall Line Brewing Co., located in an old storefront on Plum Street, and Just Tap’d, which occupies the Armory Building’s first floor. She also co-owns Kressin Realty, a firm that purchases old homes, renovates them and rents them to college students and young professionals.

Like Kressin, the Armory Building has deep roots in Macon. It was first constructed in 1885, according to Macon365, and served as the first permanent home of the Macon Volunteers, a volunteer military unit and civic organization dating back to 1825. The building’s ballroom was used for all sorts of events throughout the 20th century before becoming a furniture store in the 1970s.

In subsequent years, the building fell into disrepair. A new owner worked with renowned historic preservationist and architect Sammy Thompson in 2005 to restore the building to its former glory, according to Macon365, and it once again held dances and events.

The previous company that owned and operated the second floor closed the space in 2018, and it sat vacant for about 6 years. Kressin saw an opportunity to own a piece of her childhood and bring Macon a new place for events, and bought the vacant venue last year.

After hosting her brother’s rehearsal dinner as a “trial run” in December, Kressin officially opened it as an event space and wedding venue on Feb. 1.

“It was definitely nostalgic to see the space,” Kressin said.

However, the new space didn’t open without Kressin giving it some TLC first. Kressin said that while the second floor was in good condition, she re-painted much of the ballroom, and re-decorated the groom and bridal suites. She also adjusted the bar area to make it more functional, and added updated appliances to the kitchen.

Among the most noticeable changes are the enormous windows that surround the ballroom and overlook downtown Macon. Kressin said the previous owner placed blinds and heavy drapes over the windows. When she took over the space, she removed it all to allow sunshine to spill across the ballroom’s teal and white walls, giving the room a modern and airy feel.

Kressin said long-time Maconites who see the space now ask if she added the windows, because they can’t remember the space having so much natural light.

“There was really nothing wrong with the building, it just needed a little love,” Kressin said.

Even as she made changes, Kressin took care to maintain the building’s historic charm. She scrubbed the grime off a pair of large brick fireplaces that sit behind the bar, allowing their tile backsplashes and detailed mantles to accent the rest of the ballroom. She also took the building’s intricate moldings, grand staircases and original heart pine floors into account when selecting paint colors and furniture.

Despite being open for only a few weeks, Kressin said the space is booking up fast. It’s already hosted a retirement party, a cooking class and an open house, and is preparing to host a going away party and a charity fundraiser over the next month or so.

“I’m really excited that we get the chance to operate it and have people see how gorgeous this historic building is,” Kressin said.