Property owner receives “ok” to demolish Douglass House

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – After nearly 8 months of back and forth between the Macon-Bibb County government, local preservation organizations and supporters, and one property owner, the Douglass house in downtown Macon is no more. 

Crews spent the days demolishing the structure. 

This comes after property owner Lou Patel received an assessment from an engineering firm in Savannah calling the Douglass house “beyond repair” and a “safety hazard.”

For months, groups fought to save the house. 

Macon-Bibb’s Planning and Zoning Commission recently denied a permit to demolish it, but with the recommendation from the engineering firm, Patel has the option to either stabilize the house or tear down the building. 

Ethiel Garlington, the executive director of Historic Macon, disagrees with the engineer’s findings and believes the Douglass house could have been saved. 

“For a property owner to be able to skirt those rules is really unfortunate and frankly it sets a dangerous precedent for Macon where all of our buildings, all of our historic buildings, are now in jeopardy with this simple action,” Garlington said. 

41NBC looked at the recommendations from the engineering firm. The group pointed out rot in several places throughout the house, rusted nails along the roof, significant termite damage, and deteriorating bricks on the outside of the house. 

Patel, who didn’t want to go on camera, doesn’t have a timeline has to when the proposed will be constructed. 

Historic Macon tried to buy the property several months ago, but the owner at the time didn’t want to sell for the price they were offering.