Macon Magazine

June/July 2025 | maconmagazine.com 57 may be unusual as far as national landmarks are concerned, but the reality is that many homes in Pleasant Hill and throughout the country were relocated to accommodate the creation and subsequent expansion of America's interstate highways. The initial development of the interstate in Macon in the early 1960s split Pleasant Hill in half, resulting in the demolition of hundreds of homes and permanently scarring the neighborhood geography. The original construction of the interstate was so devastating in part because it was completed prior to the National Environmental Protection Act of 1970 (NEPA). Prior to NEPA, the department of transportation wasn't required to mitigate the impact of the interstate construction on neighborhoods. Although many communities across the country tried to fight interstate construction, most were unsuccessful. Across the country, interstate construction devastated property values, adversely impacted public health, and severed community ties by separating neighbors from each other and from economic opportunity. Additionally, across the country, almost all the neighborhoods selected as locations for interstate construction were historically Black neighborhoods, including Macon's own Pleasant Hill neighborhood. As the years went on, many communities realized the devastating impact of roadway construction that cut through neighborhoods and gradually, pressure grew to create federal requirements for mitigation efforts to protect neighborhoods from future adverse impacts. In 1970 President Richard Nixon signed NEPA into law, requiring the study and mitigation of impacts of federally funded projects on neighborhoods, and providing at communities with a basic, if insufficient way to protect the cultural assets and integrity of their community. The house on Fifth Avenue was one of many associated with Little Richard's family of origin, the Pennimans. Richard was one of 12 children in a relatively poor household, and they were known to bounce between rental houses. Although the house identified with Richard Penniman's family stayed in place through the original construction of I-75, plans to expand the intestate in the mid-2010s revealed that this time, the house would be directly in the path of the planned road. Community leaders, residents, local elected officials, state elected officials, and local organizations all rallied to protect this valuable asset LEFT The Sanborn insurance maps show the legacy of Pleasant Hill as a historically Black neighborhood, which traces its roots back to 1879. BELOW The approximate original location of The Little Richard House. LEFT The home after being transported to the other side of I-75 and revitalized. Photo by Julia Morrison. BELOW A satellite image showing the approximate former location of the Little Richard House today. Shown is Linear Park, running up to the sound barriers for the interstate. "There is simply no denying the continued impact of interstate construction through one of Macon's most culturally significant neighborhoods."

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