#Receive   #Bachelors   #Degree   

Macon, Ga community members, regional historians, and preservationists call for the Catherine Brewer Benson House (also known as the Thomas Brewer House) to not be demolished due to its high historical value and level of importance to the American public, including its international historical value. Catherine Brewer Benson was the first woman in the world to receive a bachelor’s degree when she graduated from Wesleyan College in 1840. Catherine Brewer Benson as a historical figure is of the utmost importance to American and world-wide history, representing women’s rights and access to equal education. The home located at 2353 Vineville Ave, Macon, GA 31204 is what remains of her homeplace at the time she received the first bachelor’s degree awarded to a woman; at the time when this historic moment took place in 1840.

Community members, regional historians, and preservations urgently request the Macon-Bibb County Design Review Board and Macon-Bibb County Planning and Zoning to deny any request by the owners or their stakeholders to demolish the structure(s) located at 2353 Vineville Ave, Macon, GA 31204. The design review board meeting to decide the outcome of the home is set for July 18, 2022 in Macon, Ga. It is requested that the design review board and planning and zoning office bar the owners and stakeholders from reapplying for a certificate of appropriateness for at least 6 months or greater, requiring that a second and third professional opinion be rendered in regards to its viability for restoration. Further, it is requested that one of these additional professional assessments be made from an organization outside the middle Georgia area, given the home’s national and international significance. In the event that the owners and and their stakeholders are unable to make recommended repairs or restorations, it is requested that they have the time needed to locate a new owner capable of making the recommended repairs and restorations. As a last resort, the home structure(s) should be considered to be moved to a new owner’s property or site where recommended repairs and restorations can be made. Demolition should not be considered as an option whatsoever given the historical value to the American and international public.

Lastly, it is requested that the owners and their stakeholders host the public input meeting they promised to provide. Previously a public (i.e. Town Hall) meeting was to be hosted April 6, 2022, but was canceled due to severe weather. This meeting has not been rescheduled by the owners or their stakeholders.

Historical Fact Finding Report

Macon – Bibb County Planning & Zoning
200 Cherry Street, Suite 301
Macon, Georgia 31201
478-241-2554 | info@mbpz.org

Adriane Wood, awood@mbpz.org

Development Review Officer
Macon-Bibb Planning & Zoning Commission