Resurrected Macon cottage on Vineville Tour of Homes

Andrew Berndt used to walk past boarded-up houses on his way to Strong Tower Fellowship on Vineville Avenue.

The church acquired eight homes on Clayton Street and Holts Lane from the Macon-Bibb County Land Bank last year as part of its outreach to the Pleasant Hill neighborhood a couple blocks away.

Berndt, who has been attending Strong Tower since moving to Macon in August 2012, now lives in one of the church' homes with his new bride, Shari.

"We love it," said Berndt, who moved from a place on Corbin Avenue.

The church restored several properties and built a community garden just down from the Berndts' home at 2252 Clayton St., not far from the old Bateman and Wade grocery store.

Berndt, a school teacher, spent the summer in Minnesota where he married and came back to find the house restored.

"It was quite a nice reveal," he said.

Now the public is invited in for a look as their house is one of 10 stops on this weekend's Historic Vineville Christmas Tour of Homes.

One of the tour organizers, Dina Deason, helped the newlyweds spruce up their stone cottage, as all of the homes will be decorated for the holidays.

The tour winds into Stanislaus Circle and also showcases houses on Buford Place, Calloway Drive and Corbin Avenue.

Several stops also feature live entertainment, decorating demonstrations and cooking tips. A separately ticketed reception will be held Saturday evening from 6-9 p.m. at The Big House and Allman Brothers Museum. Tickets for the party will be $15 at the door.

Parking will be available at Vineville Baptist Church, where $20 tickets can be purchased for the event that runs from 1-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

This story was originally published December 4, 2015 at 7:24 PM with the headline "Resurrected Macon cottage on Vineville Tour of Homes ."