Tubman Museum demolishes original Walnut Street building, marking end of an era

It’s the end of an era for one of Macon’s most historic landmarks.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — It’s the end of an era for one of Macon’s most historic landmarks. The Tubman African American Museum has officially demolished its original home at 340 Walnut Street, the same building where the museum’s story began 40 years ago.

The 8,500-square-foot building opened in 1985 after Father Richard Keil, a local priest at Saint Peter Claver Catholic Church, helped turn a vacant warehouse into a cultural center celebrating African American history and art.

Now, the demolition marks both a goodbye and a new beginning.

“It’s the beginning of a new story actually,” said Harold Young, Executive Director of the Tubman Museum. “This closes one door and opens another. The Tubman Museum has already existed at 310 Cherry Street. We’re just closing this chapter of Father Keil’s story.”

The original site has been vacant since the museum relocated to Cherry Street in 2015.

Former executive director Dr. Andy Ambrose says the Walnut Street location played a crucial role in the museum’s early growth.

“This was a magical place until we moved to the new one,” Ambrose said. “We had incredible exhibits, we had wonderful programs, people coming in from all over. Even then, this museum was respected.”

Young says the museum’s mission to preserve and promote African American heritage is more important than ever.

“History is being challenged in a way that we have never seen before,” he said. “We have to preserve history — whether American history is not the prettiest history, but it’s our history.”

The Tubman Museum invites the community to visit its new home at 310 Cherry Street, where leaders say the legacy of the original building continues to inspire future generations.