Nathan Lott, Historic Macon’s executive director, reveals the 2025 entry to the Macon’s Fading Five list.
2025 FADING FIVE list TARGETS TAX CREDIT PERIL
Historic Macon announced its new entry to the 2025 Macon’s Fading Five list on Nov. 13, adding a novel entry to the list.
With Georgia’s historic tax credit program under threat, Historic Macon added downtown’s vacant, historic commercial buildings to the list. It’s a move intended to underscore the uncertain situation facing owners and would-be developers of historic structures in what has been a rapidly revitalizing city.
Rounding out the 2025 Fading Five list are: the Hillyer-Kernaghan House, 2715 Cherokee Ave.; the D.T. Walton Building, 591 D.T. Walton Way; the Roxy Theatre, 445 Hazel St., and the Dr. E.E. Green House at 353 Madison St.
During the past decade, a combination of local, state and federal incentives spurred the redevelopment of warehouses, factories and offices into loft apartments, storefronts and restaurants in Macon. Now the Georgia General Assembly must act to save the state historic tax credit for commercial buildings, including multifamily housing.
“Georgia’s state historic tax credit has been instrumental in the restoration and reuse of buildings large and small,” said Nathan Lott, Historic Macon’s executive director. “Lawmakers must act to raise the cap or risk losing investment dollars to other states and stalling progress for Macon and other communities.”
Among the downtown buildings that could benefit from a restoration of historic tax credits are: the former Macon Rescue Mission (“Jesus Cares”) building on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard at Poplar Street; the former Macon Health Club building at First and Cherry streets; and the former Masonic Lodge building on First Street.
For years, the state’s Rehabilitation Tax Credit program has been the driving force behind restoration of Georgia’s historic buildings. It encourages the rehabilitation and preservation of historic properties, allowing property owners to receive a percentage of their rehab costs back as a tax credit, often with certain conditions.
But the state has run out of available credits nearly four years before the program is up for renewal in 2029.
Historic Macon, NewTown Macon, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation and other preservation groups are asking lawmakers to extend the program during next year’s General Assembly session, which starts in January.
The historic tax credit program has spurred more than $800 million in private investment into Georgia’s communities since 2020, from downtown commercial buildings to converting former schools and mills into housing, according to the Georgia Trust.
In Georgia, the fixed annual cap for the credits is $30 million, and that total has limited the program’s ability to meet demand and sustain economic development. The Georgia Trust is pushing for an annual cap of $60 million through 2029.
In 2015, Historic Macon began calling attention to endangered, significant sites across Macon-Bibb County through its Fading Five program. In 2014, the community lost two historic structures, Tremont Temple Baptist Church and the former Charles H. Douglass home, to commercial development, prompting the initiative.
REMEMBER HISTORIC MACON IN YOUR YEAR-END GIVING
As the year draws to a close, we take time to reflect on Historic Macon’s successes of 2025 and thank everyone who has stood with us — our extended family — as we forge a stronger Macon through preservation.
We announced the new addition to our Macon’s Fading Five list, and our restoration project on Lamar Street — a former Fading Five site itself — will soon be on the market. Also, an ambitious new project in the Beall’s Hill neighborhood is about to take off.
During this season of gratitude, we thank you for your support, which makes our work possible. We’ll put your donation to work locally, revitalizing our community through the power of preservation. Your year-end donation helps us achieve our goals. You can do so HERE. If you’re considering a gift of stock, call our office at: 478-742-5084, ext. 101.
If you’re not a member of Historic Macon, join today or give a membership gift! We have 11 different levels to choose from. Look HERE for more details.
Our mission is to revitalize communities by preserving architecture and sharing history.
One of the benefits of your property residing in a National Register Historic District is preservation incentives. Historic tax credits allow citizens to undertake rehabilitation projects at a reasonable cost and Historic Macon is here to walk you through that process.
A key part of Historic Macon's mission is education. We tell the stories of people who make a difference in our preservation community, as well as those pioneering visionaries whose shoulders we stand on today. Read more about them HERE.