Higher Education · Performing Arts · Historic Rehabilitation
Tattnall Center for the Performing Arts, Mercer University
Macon, Georgia
An 1891 church beside Mercer's campus became the Drama Department's home — an 18,000-square-foot complex with a flexible theater, shops, and classrooms, delivered on time under historic tax-credit review.
- Original construction
- 1891 (church)
- Area
- 18,000 SF
- Construction budget
- $2.5 million
- Completed
- Fall 2024
The project
The building began in 1891 as Tattnall Square Presbyterian Church, at the corner of College and Oglethorpe Streets beside Mercer's campus. Its congregation gave the property to the university in 2010, and the building — known to the city as the Tattnall Square Center for the Arts — has hosted Mercer Theatre and community programs since 2014. This project carried the conversion to completion.
Mercer reviewed several layouts before selecting a plan for a flexible theater, scene and costume shops, classrooms, and staff offices within the 18,000-square-foot complex. Because the building was eligible for Historic Tax Credits, the rehabilitation followed the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards while adapting the former sanctuary for performance.
A construction manager at risk joined early to hold costs within budget, and the schedule was accelerated by authorizing the demolition phase before construction documents were complete. Despite unforeseen conditions, the project finished on time — a deteriorating National Register-listed building converted into an asset serving both Mercer University and the City of Macon.
Research record
Sources and provenance
Project facts and photography were archived from the firm’s public portfolio and cross-checked against the supplementary sources below.
Project photography and construction facts from the firm's 2026 qualification submittal.