[ Live] in the Corridor Living in the Corridor is where hip meets historic. It’s where character, culture, creativity and charm play a crucial part in an affordable, high quality of life. The College Hill Corridor is a two-square-mile area between Mercer University and Macon, Georgia’s Downtown comprised of several historic city neighborhoods. This cherished area of town is more than a location. It ’s a movement. What began as a Senior Capstone project for a group of Mercer students developed into a comprehensive master plan, where public input was compiled to utilize the Corridor as a place-making destination to live, work and play. Today, the College Hill Corridor is a master plan in daily action. As a privately funded partnership made possible by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and with the guidance of the volunteer-driven College Hill Corridor Commission, the full-time, corporate staff of the College Hill Alliance administers the implementation of the Master Plan and its goals to increase quality of life, residents and job opportunities in the Corridor. The Master Plan concentrates on five areas that makes living in the Corridor like no other community in Macon. With regular, cool events enhancing the area’s Vibe; green space and eco-conscious initiatives that improve the Environment; cycling and pedestrian efforts to cool the streets and meet the multi-modal goals of the Connection; residential and business developments targeting progress and preservation in restoring, maintaining and sustaining the Look as Macon’s urban and historic center; and initiatives and projects dedicated to the Basics of the Corridor as a place that is clean, safe and branded, College Hill has become a national model of successful urban revitalization. Living in the Corridor is safe, affordable and ideal for those who want to belong to a community. There are homes to fit every lifestyle and budget — from new construction to fully restored historic homes that range from shotgun-style bungalows to antebellum mansions. The Corridor also boasts tax credits and mortgage options that make many house payments less than area apartment rentals. And, with $3 million invested in Knight Neighborhood Challenge grants targeted for the Corridor and issued by the Community Foundation of Central Georgia, volunteerism is at its best with funds available for everyone to put their community vision for the Corridor into action.
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[ Live] in the Corridor Among the Corridor’s cornerstones is the Beall’s Hill neighborhood, a model “New Urbanist” mixed-income, mixed-use, walkable community that was transitioned from a blighted past to a fully revitalized future. In partnership with Historic Macon, the diverse neighborhood continues to break ground on a range of newly constructed homes as well as stabilize and rehab the historic homes found in the Victorian-era vicinity. Beall’s Hill reaches from Orange Street, near the Medical Center, to Telfair and First Streets. Among the unique features of the neighborhood are a community garden, gateway pedestrian bridge and a strong, diverse neighborhood association made up of longtime and brand new residents. Another previously re-developed neighborhood in the Corridor is Huguenin Heights, found adjacent to the Mercer University campus and Tattnall Square Park. The majority of homes in the neighborhood are two-story Queen Anne homes built in the late 1800s. The successful restoration of the neighborhood has served as a demonstration to other communities and featured on the National Trust of Historic Preservation’s tour in 1998, as well as “Restore America” on the HGTV channel. Tattnall Square Heights is also adjacent to Tattnall Square Park and bounded by Adams, College and Oglethorpe Streets. Many of the homes are Victorian Vernacular cottages, either rehabbed or newly constructed within the last decade. The neighborhood is home to Macon Dog Park, a six-acre, off-leash dog park that serves as a community gathering point and city destination. InTown Macon’s historic district along the Corridor began in 1823 when the town plan was first laid out and continued into the 1940s. The district is significant in the areas of architecture and landscape architecture. Travel along College Street, the Corridor’s main vein, and see landmark mansions that range from Queen Anne to Italianate, Neoclassical Revival, Greek Revival, Late Gothic Revival, Romanesque, Art Deco and more. Just off College Street, Magnolia Street could be considered the front porch hub of the Corridor. Magnolia stretches from Washington Park to Downtown Macon’s Cherry Street and often plays host to cocktail hours, porch parties, garden harvests and potluck dinner occasions. Magnolia Street is also the official location of the College Hill Corridor’s Second Sunday concert series, held monthly from spring to fall in Washington Park, as well as the annual Magnolia Street Soapbox Derby, a street party tradition that takes place in April.
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[ Work] in the Corridor With Downtown Macon encompassing the city’s business district, as well as some of Bibb County’s largest employers being located in College Hill or within a short distance from it, the work commute is minimal when living in the Corridor. In fact, the opportunity to walk or bike to work is part of the lifestyle. Mercer University is one of the pioneering partners and leaders in transforming and revitalizing the Corridor’s two-square-mile area, anchored by the north end of main campus. With over 865 Macon employees, Mercer is also one of Bibb County’s largest employers. As part of its commitment to their surrounding community, Mercer has partnered with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to offer a Down Payment Assistance Program for University employees to encourage the purchase of new and rehabilitated homes in the Corridor. With nearly 5,000 employees, the Medical Center of Central Georgia (MCCG) is the largest employer in Bibb County. Its 637-bed, full-service, acute care hospital is located in the heart of the Corridor and is the second largest hospital in the state of Georgia, treating an estimated 55,000 patients annually. MCCG employees support approximately 500 board-certified or board-eligible physicians whose primary service area covers 30 counties in Central Georgia, including Bibb and the neighboring counties of Crawford, Houston, Jones, Monroe, Peach and Twiggs. It has also been designated by the Georgia Department of Human Resources as the only Level One Trauma Center in Central Georgia — and is one of only four in the state. The Corridor is also convenient to one of Georgia’s largest employers, Robins Air Force Base. The Beall’s Hill Neighborhood is located less than 18 minutes from Robins Air Force Base’s main gates on Highway 247, in Warner Robins. New business is also encouraged in the Corridor. With available commercial properties, tax incentives and a diverse surrounding work force, College Hill is an ideal community for enterprise. The College Hill Alliance office, located in Mercer Village, is currently focused on promoting, encouraging and cultivating entrepreneurship as a way to attract and retain exciting new businesses and innovation.
[ Play] in the Corridor The Vibe is alive and well in the Corridor. Creativity is constantly at work with offbeat art projects as well as the culture-plenty Downtown Macon with live theatre, festivals, art house movies, museums, art galleries and nightlife within walking and biking distance. Macon’s founders imagined the city as one within a park. The College Hill Corridor is home to several of Central Georgia’s most impressive urban green spaces. Tattnall Square Park, located at the north entrance to Mercer’s campus, is among the largest parks in Macon and contains a pavilion, public restrooms, tennis courts and a playground. Plans are underway to transform the park into a Corridor centerpiece for students and residents with additional walkways, an amphitheatre, enhanced landscaping and water features. A few residential blocks from Tattnall Square Park is Macon’s Dog Park. The six fenced-in acres include a small creek, shaded seating, drinking fountains, obstacle course and designated areas for small and large dogs. Washington Park is considered a historical treasure of InTown Macon. Featuring waterworks and a terraced design, its natural amphitheatre is the ideal backdrop and location for the Second Sunday concert series. The free live music concerts are held every second Sunday of the month, April through October, and invite the community to pack a picnic or buy one on site and take in the sights and sounds of a variety of local and regional acts. Another music venue is Mercer University’s Townsend School of Music. From concerts by world-renowned violinist Robert McDuffie to the Fickling Hall Recital Series and community arts programs such as the Mercer/Macon Symphony Youth Orchestra, the school and performance hall appeals to music lovers of all ages. The Tattnall Center for the Arts is located off-campus at the corner of Oglethorpe and College Streets and is home to the Mercer Theatre Department, as well as serves as a community arts center to the public. Mercer athletics brings sports lovers from all over into the Corridor with action-packed football, basketball, baseball, lacrosse games and more! Tailgating is encouraged on campus, as well as in Mercer Village and Downtown Macon. Other fun events and attractions are free outdoor movies and the infamous Magnolia Street Soapbox Derby in April, which attracts thousands with its thrilling race featuring over 25 creative cars and neighborhood block-party style fun. There are also homegrown programs that include porch parties, the Beall’s Hill Community Garden, “Trail of Bears” life-size art installations and a packed calendar of events that can be found at Ovations365.com.