These historic properties in Macon need saving. Here’s the 2019 Fading Five list.

Historic Macon Foundation gathered community members to the former Alexander IV Elementary School on Ridge Avenue and announced its 2019 Fading Five list, which highlights historic places in disrepair.

“One of the most important tools that we can do as an organization is shine spotlights on important places in our community, and the Fading Five does that in a way that brings community awareness,” said Ethiel Garlington, the executive director at Historic Macon. “This program is a way for us as an organization and as a community to help save more endangered places.”

The DeWitt McCrary house in east Macon is new to the list this year. Other properties still on the list from last year include the Train Recreation Center, the Bobby Jones Performing Arts Center, the Coaling Tower and the Guy E. Paine House.

The Cotton Avenue District was removed from the list because Historic Macon believes the area has been saved, Garlington said.

Garlington also asked people to vote for critical preservation funding for the Ruth Hartley Mosley Center starting on Sept. 24.

The announcement was held at Alexander IV because it was a part of the inaugural Fading Five list in 2015 and is in the process of being renovated by Dover Development into a high-end senior living community, according to a news release.

The Historic Macon Foundation creates a strategic preservation plan for each building added to the Fading Five list and has saved or protected more than half of the 13 properties on the list since 2015, according to the release.

“It’s a tool that we think is proactive. It gets us in front of a lot of these preservation advocacy issues and really highlights and elevates the places in our community,” Garlington said.

Garlington said anyone can nominate a property throughout the year, and Historic Macon’s preservation committee votes on the properties. Then, the Historic Macon Foundation Board chooses the final list.

DeWitt McCrary house

Garlington said the McCrary house’s most immediate threat is development pressure. The house was built in the 1860’s in east Macon and is part of the East Macon Historic District.

The house is located at 320 Hydolia St.

The Coaling Tower

The Coaling Tower is in the Industrial District and is threatened by “demolition by neglect,” Garlington said. The tower provided coal for trains that came through the rail yard nearby.

“Historic Macon continues dialogue with Transco to maintain the tower in its current state, noting its contribution to our community’s history and its social media prominence. People just love this Coaling Tower,” Garlington said.

The Train Recreation Center

The Train Recreation Center at 715 Oglethorpe St. is owned by Macon-Bibb County and can only be used by a government or nonprofit entity, Garlington said.

Historic Macon and the county’s blight consultant, Cass Hatcher, proposed it be the home of the Cooperative Extension office and spend $1.5 million from blight bond proceeds to restore the building, Garlington said.

He said the proposal was tabled, but it’s scheduled to go before the mayor and commission in September.

The Guy E. Paine House

The Guy E. Paine House was built around 1912 at 2733 Hilcrest Ave., and Garlington said it was added to the list in 2017.

“Historic has had productive conversations with the property owner and look forward to an ongoing dialogue to find a new owner to love this house and help bring new investment to Cherokee Heights.”

Bobby Jones Performing Arts Center

The Bobby Jones Performing Arts Center, at 1389 Jefferson St. in the Pleasant Hill neighborhood, was also added to the Fading Five list in 2017, Garlington said.

Tonja Khabir was awarded a Knight Emerging Champion Grant from the Knight Foundation for her project to reuse the center as a community venue.

Khabir said they asked the community what they would like to see in the space, and after some mock-ups and voting, the winner was a youth activity space with a mental health and creativity aspect.

She said she will be talking with the former owners, Historic Macon and Macon-Bibb County to see how they will proceed.