Passing the three-story brick construction entrenched at 366 N. 20th St. in the King-Lincoln Bronzeville district, there are no outward signs of its history. Built as the Macon Hotel in 1888, the site housed black jazz luminaries such as Count Basie and Ella Fitzgerald in the twentieth century.
After remaining unoccupied for years, the Macon has the possibility of having a new life. The building’s owner, Yhezkel Levi of Z on Main, and architect Laurie Gunzelman plan to convert the assets into a long-term hotel with an area on the first lot for a place to eat and a bar. The Columbus Historical Resources Commission has approved the renovation and the paintings have begun, said Cynthia Rickman of the city’s Department of Development, though Gunzelman did not respond to a request for comment on progress.
More: The Future of King-Lincoln Bronzeville
As Macon evolves for its next use, its old price remains, adding the difference of being one of the remaining 4 Columbus sites that were once indexed in the “Green Paper. “As described in the 2018 Oscar-winning film starring Mahershala Ali and Viggo. Mortensen, the consultant helped black Americans locate accommodations, restaurants and entertainment in a segregated America.
Green Book sites like the Macon Hotel have only provided a respite for black travelers, but they have also contributed to the economic stability of their communities, says historian Rita Fuller-Yates.
“I was inspired by what macon meant to the African-American community,” she says. “It was bigger than a place to eat and a hotel. It was home to many small businesses. This allowed a small business to have a commercial space. “They were bigger than jazz.
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The remaining sites have special cultural significance, as many buildings were demolished when the formula structure of the interstate highway passed through black communities and advertising spaces in the 1950s and 1960s, says Trevon Logan, an economics professor at Ohio State University.
“I think the big story is the demise of those black business districts. If you send to the same spaces today, there are no black business districts,” he says. “The roads have destroyed those communities. The ‘Green Paper’ is appropriately of important importance in these discussions. »
Here’s a look at the history of the other 3 remaining buildings that were once indexed in the Columbus segment of the “Green Book,” all in the historic Black King-Lincoln Bronzeville neighborhood.
Hotel St. Clair, 333 S. St. The hotel opened in 1915, according to Columbus landmarks, such as the Macon, the home of St. Clair. Clair for black artists, such as Sammy Davis Jr. and Lionel Hampton, when they visited Columbus.
Construction moved to the St. Clair Apartments Hotel in 2017 through Kelly Cos. , according to The Columbus Dispatch. Prior to its current use, it served for 15 years as an apartment for low-income seniors.
The Cooper Tourist Home, 259 N. 17th St. and Hawkins Tourist Home, 70 N. Monroe Ave. These personal homes were once indexed in the “Green Paper” as a component of a residential housing network. They presented a fashionable first edition such as Airbnb that allow travelers to rent houses for short stays.