Macon Railway and Light Company Substation
Also known as: North Macon Substation
Why it's listed
Built in 1915 on a bluff above the Ocmulgee River north of downtown Macon, this two-story, L-shaped brick building was designed to house electrical equipment for the Macon Railway & Light Company. It reduced high-voltage power from the Lloyd Shoals hydroelectric plant to 600 volts and converted it to direct current for the city's streetcars, and later for telephone and electrical service. Common-bond brick walls, pilasters framing each window, corbelled arches and a stepped parapet give it the look of a downtown commercial building rather than a power facility. It was listed for its architecture as a good example of an early 20th-century substation, and for its role in transportation and industry, as part of a regional power distribution system. Georgia Power took over the operation after a 1928 consolidation, and the period of significance ends in 1955. Since the late 1980s the building has served as a restaurant, with a kitchen, bar, dining room and loft added inside, and it was rehabilitated in 2005.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is a good example of an early 20th-century substation whose plain, commercial-looking exterior hid advanced electrical equipment. It is also significant in transportation and industry as a key part of the system that moved Macon beyond mule-drawn streetcars and supplied electricity and telephone service.
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 06000986, listed November 9, 2006. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1015 Riverside Dr., Macon |
|---|---|
| County | Bibb County |
| Listed | November 9, 2006 |
| Reference number | 06000986 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1915-1955 |
| Architectural style | Other: early 20th-century industrial building |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Industry, Transportation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used as a restaurant since the late 1980s; rehabilitated for continued restaurant use in 2005, with the work approved by the National Park Service on September 28, 2005. |
| Acreage | 0.8 |
| Within district | Rose Hill Cemetery |
| Coordinates | 32.84503, -83.63136 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
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 06000986.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q134086153
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.