Historic Macon recognized significant achievements in preservation Thursday night with its 2023 Preservation Awards.

The awards were part of the foundation’s annual meeting. The session featured highlights from the organization’s fiscal year, presentation of incoming trustees and news about HMF’s projects in the year ahead.

Among those plans: Historic Macon announced that it will convert the old Korner Kupboard building in the Beall’s Hill neighborhood into apartments; will build a new single-family house on nearby Maple Street; and will build a new duplex on Boulevard in the North Highlands neighborhood.

Historic Macon presented 11 awards in all, honoring those who have been instrumental in preservation and restoration achievements both recently and over a lifetime.

Here are the 2023 winners:

• 461 Third St. Newtown Macon bought the building, then transformed it into a co-working space designed by Camp Interiors with lofts upstairs. The project architect was BTBB Architects and the general contractor was Kunj Construction.

• 596 Cherry St. A joint venture involving Ryan Griffin and NewTown Macon, the building now houses four lofts and two commercial spaces. Griffin was the general contractor, Robinson Home did the interior design, and BTBB served as the architect of record.

• 350 Second St. The two-story Woodward Hotel and Quill was a joint venture between NewTown Macon and Wes Griffith of the Moonhanger Group. Ryan Griffin was the general contractor, Robinson Home was the interior designer, and BTBB was the architect. Kevin “Scene” Lewis painted the portraits of Flannery O’Connor, John Oliver Killens, Alice Walker, and Tennessee Williams.

• 415 Cherry St. Dr. Annissa Jones and her husband, Deon Aiken, rehabbed the building, turning it into a site where they could live and work. Jones operates her chiropractor practice out of the building.

Revitalization Award (Recognizes projects that have made an exceptional contribution to the community and/or a pioneering investment in historic districts that need revitalization.)

• Enslaved Records Project. Superior Court Clerk Erica Woodford; Chief Deputy Clerk Stephanie Woods Miller; Dr. Chester Fontenot, Mercer's director of African Studies; and university students are working to turn slave deeds found at the courthouse into an accessible, searchable website.

• Empire Lofts. For the past 10 years Brooks Patterson has transformed blocks of the industrial area beyond the Terminal Station, ranging from his state-of-the-art woodworking shop at Prodigy woodworks to high-end lofts. 

Katherine Oliver Carmichael Stewardship Award (Honors owners or caretakers who ensure that their buildings stay in excellent condition over a period of decades.)

• Washington Avenue Presbyterian Church: Built in 1904, this church in the InTown neighborhood is believed to be the oldest African American Presbyterian Church in Georgia. The congregation formed in 1838 and started building a wood structure on the site in 1859. The first building was completed in 1875, and the current building was completed in the early 20th century. Over the past five years the church has undergone extensive updates in the sanctuary.

• Wesleyan College, for its stewardship and work in maintaining its beautiful 200-acre campus, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as the Wesleyan College Historic District. 

• Mimi Morris. Morris served as the Flea Market chair for two  years — and a record 30 sale days. She made permanent upgrades to the warehouse, updated the Flea Market marketing materials and helped recruit new volunteers, among other initiatives.  

Jenny Thurston Award (for lifetime achievement in historic preservation)

Thad E. Murphey President’s Choice Award (Given to the most important preservation effort of the year) 

Washington Block.  HMF’s 2023 Patrons Party was held at the freshly rehabilitated Washington Block, and it is now home to 17 new lofts, thanks to Ryan Sanders. The contractor was Stroud and Co., Robinson Home was the interior designer, and BBBT was the architect.

Historic Macon has other events scheduled in observance of National Preservation Month, including: a Preservation Pub Crawl May 12; a Preservation Workshop May 13; a Sidney's Salon on Macon history May 15; a Major Donors reception May 23; and a Peek at Preservation Walking Tour on May 26. For details, go to: www.historicmacon.org.

Preservation, Rehabilitation or Restoration Award: Commercial Maryel Ramsay Battin Award (for service to Historic Macon)Bill Causey, the former engineer for both Macon and Macon-Bibb County. Among the projects he directed before retiring (and since) are: work at Rose Hill Cemetery; the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail; Tattnall Square Park infrastructure; Oak Haven Park; and North Highlands Park. He’s also drawn praise for making sure that workers salvaged historic materials over the years, including cobblestones, which were later reused on other projects.