Bibb County demolishes building to make way for east Macon development

Macon-Bibb County workers demolished a building in east Macon Wednesday morning to make room for development.

The building used to house the Georgia Secretary of State’s offices, but those offices moved to a smaller space on Arkwright Road in October 2025.

Officials said demolishing the building and freeing up the land underneath will help encourage private investment and development into east Macon, a goal the county has pursued with other demolitions.

In June 2023, it demolished a neighboring building that was blighted and abandoned, and in January 2025 the county tore down the Old Ramada Hotel to encourage development around the Ocmulgee River.

The building demolished on Wednesday, which is located along Coliseum Drive, is adjacent to a 21-acre lot the county already owns, and sits close to the site marked for a new sports arena. Officials said they hope to use the area to build greenspaces and mixed-use development.

“We have a huge opportunity to attract major private investment to this property and to all of east Macon, so we’re clearing the way and making it possible for everyone to see what is possible,” Macon-Bibb County Mayor Lester Miller said in a Wednesday press release ahead of the demolition.

The vision, officials said, is to create a vibrant corridor connecting downtown, east Macon and the Ocmulgee River that pulls together the new arena, the convention center and new mixed-used spaces.