Macon Historic District
Also known as: See Also:Holt-Peeler-Snow House; Municipal Auditorium; First P
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Why it's listed
Macon's historic district covers about 420 acres on the west bank of the Ocmulgee River in central Georgia. It includes the downtown grid laid out in 1823 by James Webb, with broad avenues, park-like medians, City Hall and the 1916 Terminal Station. North and west of downtown lies College Hill, the town's first residential area, which holds a large concentration of pre-Civil War Greek Revival mansions, many designed by Elam Alexander. Orange Terrace and the streets near Mercer University add late 19th-century Victorian houses and cottages, and Tattnall Square is a park designated in 1852. Mercer's Administration Building, built 1872-74, is a prominent landmark. The district was listed because Macon grew with river and railroad transport and then avoided rapid postwar development, so much of its 19th-century architecture and planning survives. It is also associated with Wesleyan College, chartered in 1836 to grant degrees to women, and with architects Ayres, Carter and Neel Reid.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues that Macon preserves an almost intact picture of a 19th-century Southern town, shaped by river and railroad transportation. It has a large collection of Greek Revival and Victorian buildings, a progressive original town plan, and works by architects such as Elam Alexander, James B. Ayres and Neel Reid. It is also tied to early women's higher education through Wesleyan College and to Mercer University.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 74000658, listed December 31, 1974. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by Riverside Dr., Broadway, Elm, and I-75, Macon |
|---|---|
| County | Bibb County |
| Listed | December 31, 1974 |
| Reference number | 74000658 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Elam Alexander, Elias Carter (attributed), James B. Ayres, Neel Reid, Alfred Fulheimer (Terminal Station), Gurdon P. Randall (Mercer Administration Building), James Webb (1823 town plan), A. Sidney Brown (World War I monument), Robert Cushing (Wadley statue) |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival and Victorian |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Community Planning and Development, Politics/Government, Landscape Architecture, Transportation, Education, Social History, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition marked good and altered; the district includes occupied residential, commercial, government, educational and religious uses. The Terminal Station is described as empty in the 1974 text. |
| Acreage | 587 |
| Coordinates | 32.83194, -83.64945 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 74000658.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q28153341
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.