Macon Railroad Industrial District

Southeast of downtown Macon, where three railroad lines converge south of the Ocmulgee River, a district of about 416 acres preserves the city's railroad and industrial core. Most buildings are brick, one to four stories tall, and many have rail sidings at the rear. Development began as railroads arrived in the late 1830s, but the main growth came from the 1880s until the 1930s. Landmarks include the limestone Macon Terminal of 1916, designed by Alfred Felheimer, and the Central of Georgia car shops of 1910 with a sawtooth roof and a steel-frame coal chute. Iron works, a flour mill, brick makers, a sash and door company, warehouses and Broadway commercial blocks add to the mix, along with railroad bridges, trestles and overpasses. An early city cemetery from 1823 sits in the middle. The district was recognized for its concentration of varied industries from the New South era, its wholesale commerce, and its role as a central Georgia rail hub.