These three simple words tell the story of preservation in our community. Historic Macon is a leader nationally when it comes to community revitalization through preservation efforts. We led the state in 2013 and 2014 in the number of historic tax credit applications submitted. Over the course of 30 years, we have rehabilitated over 150 properties in Macon’s historic districts and downtown. In the past five years alone we have restored 27 historic buildings and built 16 new homes. Building by building, neighborhood by neighborhood, Macon is being transformed and our historic structures are finding new uses.

These statistics represent the work of Historic Macon — and the entire community. That’s why our work is so successful. You may be a preservationist and not even know it. Historic Macon decided to launch an advocacy campaign to show the diversity of preservation efforts in Macon and to show that everyone can be involved.

The demolition of Tremont Temple Baptist Church and the Charles H. Douglass House in 2014 were a huge loss for Macon. These preservation defeats exposed the flaws in our local zoning and design codes. Further, these two cases showed that buildings can be torn down despite a community’s fighting for their preservation.

The Macon is Preservation campaign is an opportunity for Historic Macon to show preservation efforts in a positive light. Preservation groups are often seen as reactionary rather than proactive when it comes to advocating for historic properties. With help from the Community Foundation of Central Georgia, Big Hair Productions, and Maryann Bates Photography, Historic Macon staff came up with the idea to show the diversity of preservation efforts that happen each day in our community by creating a 30-second video and series of photographs.

Macon is fortunate to have a wide array of historic structures, from all periods and styles. This is something for Maconites to be proud of! As a staff, we started to think about those buildings that we pass every day on the way to work or to school or ones where we grab a bite to eat. Then we began to think about the people and the stories behind those buildings. What we came up with was a list much too long to cover in a 30-second video, but we think this PSA is a great start to rethinking what preservation looks like.

The Macon is Preservation campaign is more than this video. Check our Facebook page, Twitter and Instagram accounts regularly to see #maconispreservation in action.