The childhood home of Macon music legend Little Richard has found new life as a community resource center, opening on March 30th. Chris Carter, one of two employees hired to work at the Little Richard House, says he's ready to show it off. He's even more excited to make a change in the lives of kids visiting.
"You never know what's in the mind of our children and what they want to be one day. We need to invest in that. Investing in the Little Richard House is invest in our future," said Carter. "Our plan is to display his personality and his love for Macon."
The house almost didn't open. Bibb County commissioners cut the program's budget from $96,000 to $10,000.
Commissioner Valerie Wynn asked to sell the house at one point, but the full commission finally approved giving the Community Enhancement Authority $100,000 to get the center open and running.
Former CEA head James Beverly outlined the house's budget
- $37,000 for personnel,
- $24,000 for maintenance,
- $12,000 for utilities and taxes
- the rest for fees insurance and running programs like SAT prep courses
Tendra Houston took over as head of the CEA a few months ago.
"It's not necessarily the fact the money is needed or not needed, it says the community cares," said Houston.
She wants to make lasting changes in Pleasant Hill. That includes getting the house its own funding so they won't have to rely on the county. "We're going to start right here in the Pleasant Hill community and then keep going and see what God allows us to do," said Carter, hoping the home of the man known as the "Architect of Rock N' Roll" can lay the foundation to revitalize one of Macon's poorest communities.
The grand opening starts at 11 a.m. on March 30th and goes until 5 p.m. They'll have live music and tours all day so you want to check out the childhood home of Little Richard. The plan is for the center to be open from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday.