MACON, Ga. — Tucked away in the Ingleside community is a building that may not look like much from the outside, but is full of history dating back to World War II.
Built in the 1940s with recycled materials from a WWII Army base, the building at 262 Riley Avenue has served many purposes.
Although it was originally constructed to be the Ingleside Community Club in 1948, the building was also used to hold civic group meetings and parties.
In 1964, the building was donated to be the Middle Georgia Girl Scout Council. Brooks Dantzler was a Brownie who frequently went to headquarters with the scouts.
An artist cooperative business called Creative Alternative was then founded in 1979, with Dantzler at the helm.
A call a few years later from Sue Chipman, the executive director of the Girl Scouts, led Dantzler to buy the building. The scouts "outgrew" it and moved out in 1986, just as Dantzler was moving in.
"They ran out of space to store cookies," Dantzler said.
From there, the historic building was used for the arts and a pre-school run by Creative Alternative.
Dantzler is now ready to part ways with the building and is looking for someone who restore it back to its former glory.
"I would like to see this place come back as a community center that will serve the whole community, not just the neighborhood," she said. "It's a treasured location, and I just want it to stay that way."
A few features make the building "unique." Large windows let in a lot of natural light and brick from Burns Brick Company make up the flooring and walls in some areas of the building.
The building is also eligible for the historic registry, according to Dantzler.
She says she won't sell to "just any-old-body." She hopes maybe one of her previous students will come back and keep the space open for local creatives.
If you are interested in the space or want to find out more, you can go to the Creative Alternative Facebook page.