MACON, Ga. — One of Macon's longtime endangered historic spots will soon be renovated into a cafe.
The Bobby Jones Performing Arts Center has been on the Historic Macon Foundation's Fading Five list since 2016. Now, social activist and community relations specialist Tonja Khabir has bought the building and plans to transform it into Jones Cafe starting next year!
"The biggest thing about this building is being able to save it, preserve it," Khabir said. "We're so grateful to have a new future for this space as a culture and community incubator space called Jones Cafe."
The Bobby Jones Performing Arts Center was initially built as the first congregational church in 1917. In 1998, the building was repurposed as a dance studio and named after Bobby Jones, the first African American to earn tenure at Mercer University.
"It served to educate people and connect them to spirituality," Khabir said. "It's just such a rich history and culture that this space has, and so being connected to that, it just made me really want to tie myself to this space."
Once the state and federal tax credits are completed, Khabir sees Jones Cafe as a part coffee shop and collaboration area for people to work together.
"Being able to now make it a safe space for people who are walking by, people who are driving by, that in and of itself is a public health initiative to ensure that our neighborhoods are safe and sustainable for all people to be able to enjoy," Khabir said.
La'Nissa Rozier is a current Mercer University student and looks forward to another place where she can gather and network with classmates and friends.
"People are building things up and doing things like creating Jones Cafe, so it's giving our community opportunities to expand and connect more," Rozier said. "We'll have more places to be, more things to do, and I think overall, it'll just bring more people to the Macon area. It's already bright, fun, and community-based, but more opportunities will just lead to more people, and that's going to be perfect for the city."
Dsto Moore lives in the area and is eager to see the development firsthand.
"Something new!" Moore said. "Something exciting, something that hasn't been in the neighborhood for years. The Bobby Jones Performing Arts Center was something back in the day, so as something coming back to the neighborhood, kind of revamped, it's the only way, so they should love it!"