Riverside Cemetery in Macon among historical society's 10 Places in Peril
Riverside Cemetery was among 10 "places in peril" on a statewide list released Wednesday.
The list, compiled by the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, is intended to draw attention to locations with historic or cultural significance "that are threatened by demolition, neglect, lack of maintenance, inappropriate development or insensitive public policy," according to a release.
"We hope the list will continue to bring preservation solutions to Georgia's imperiled historic resources by highlighting 10 representative sites," Mark C. McDonald, president and CEO of the trust, said.
The planned interchange renovations for the Interstate 75-Interstate 16 split spurred Riverside Cemetery's inclusion on the list.
The cemetery, established in 1887, was already cut in two by I-75. The proposed interchange "places retaining walls less than 6 feet from graves in Riverside Cemetery and calls for the removal of trees that currently serve as natural barriers to sunlight, traffic noise and pollution," according to the release.
The Gene Theater in Telfair County and Butts County's Hawkes Children's Library were also on the list.
The Gene, located in McRae-Helena, has been closed since 2005, and a lack of resources has left it in disrepair.
The Hawkes library in Jackson has faced a similar fate since being abandoned in 2006, and the roof even collapsed at one point.
It has since been replaced, but the resulting interior damage remains.
Other sites on the list included: Teardowns in Atlanta's historic neighborhoods; Bobby Jones Golf Course in Atlanta (Fulton County); Children of Israel Synagogue and Court of Ordinary in Augusta (Richmond County); Claflin School in Columbus (Muscogee County); Hudson-Nash House and Cemetery in Lilburn (Gwinnett County); Johns Homestead in Tucker (DeKalb County); and Norcross Woman's Club Old Library (Gwinnett County).
To contact writer Jeremy Timmerman, call 744-4331 or find him on Twitternote>.
This story was originally published November 11, 2015 at 9:54 PM with the headline "Riverside Cemetery in Macon among historical society's 10 Places in Peril ."