Site of coaling tower in Macon to get a new lease on life. Here’s what’s in the works
A coaling tower that’s been a part of Macon’s skyline for more than a century once looked down on a bustling rail yard roughly bounded by Seventh, Poplar, Fifth and Bay streets.
Today, if the plans of the developers for the 22.5 acre site become a reality, the iconic structure will stand above another bustling yard but of a different kind.
CW Development Holdings recently announced plans for a golf and pickleball entertainment venue, which is just a few miles from downtown.
“We are excited to provide a wholesome entertainment experience for families and community members of all ages and interests,” reads a subsequent statement from the developers. “We are inspired by countless tremendous organizations and individuals who have taken an interest in downtown Macon over many years.”
The Yard
The coaling tower is part of the brand for the venue, which will be called, The Yard, said Taylor Martin, a Macon attorney for CW Development Holdings.
“This is truly a landmark development for Macon,” he said.
Developers are in the process of finalizing funding for the project, which will go before the Macon-Bibb Planning & Zoning Commission for approval, Martin said.
The project includes:
A two-story building with 32 golf bays with full shot tracking technology and games.
Eight outdoor pickleball courts that will be covered.
An entertainment yard will feature live music, fire pits, yard games and mini-golf.
A restaurant and bar with a full-sized kitchen offering “creative, scratch-made cuisine.”
Its history
According to the Historic Macon Foundation, the coaling tower was built in 1910 for Central of Georgia Railroad to replenish coal for the rail yard. The property on which it stands once housed rail car maintenance shops and a massive roundhouse complex.
The coaling tower was used as a coal chute until 1965 when the former owner, Transco Railway, bought the property and used it for rail car repairs.
The structure was added to Historic Macon’s Fading Five in 2018. The aim of the list, which was started in 2015, is to identify historic properties in danger of being lost. The properties come off the list if they are deemed saved or lost.
In August 2022, the coaling tower came off the Fading Five list after CW Development Holdings purchased the property with plans to develop it and preserve the tower. The developers purchased the property for $337,500, according to online Macon-Bibb County property tax records.
Plans for the coaling tower have not yet been finalized but preliminary ideas discussed by the developers with Historic Macon are to stabilize the remaining structure and to put a fence around the footprint to protect the general public, according to CW Development Holdings.
If all goes according to plan, the target opening date for the planned entertainment venue is spring 2024.
