About The Library Ballroom The Library Ballroom is the perfect place to host your next event, be it a wedding, reception, anniversary party, corporate or private party, a conference, seminar, concert or show, or anything else you may think of. The ballroom is located at 652 Mulberry Street in Macon's First Public Library Building. The facility consists of the Grand Ballroom, a reception room, lavish bathrooms, and a warming kitchen. It offers a warm and inviting atmosphere with original hardwood flooring, richly stained wood accents, and a 40 foot wooden cathedral ceiling in the ballroom. Cherry wood furnishings encase a full sound system for the ballroom and the surround sound system and DVR cable system for the 50" plasma TV in the reception room. The third floor houses the VIP Suite. It's the perfect place to stay after your party or for the VIP of your meeting. History The Library Ballroom was originally designed by D.B. Woodruff and was constructed in 1889 by the Macon Public Library and Historical Society to house Macon’s first public library. The library was located on the second floor and included the reading room, a ladies parlor, toilet rooms, and a boudoir; every convenience of the day. The first floor has been rented out to local businesses throughout the years. A few of the businesses to occupy the first floor include a coffin shop in the earliest days, and currently, Central Bank. In 1916, a site on Washington Street was donated to the Macon Public Library and Historical Society by Ms. Ellen Washington Bellamy, and a new library building was constructed there. The library moved to its new site at the corner of Washington Street and College Street in the 1920’s. During the 1960’s, 652 Mulberry Street was a favorite venue for local musicians, the Allman Brothers, to play. Eventually, the ballroom fell into disuse, but was later acquired by the Historic Macon Foundation. More recently, the building was purchased by Tony Widner, who performed a complete renovation to restore the building to its original beauty. In 2007, the building was awarded by the Historic Macon Foundation for the renovations and was placed on the National Registrar of Historic Places. 120 Year History Project We need help! We know several really cool history fact about our building, however, our timeline seems to have some gaps in it. We know that the building was built in 1889 for Macon's First Public Library, as well as was home to a coffin shop. We also know that during the 1960's, the building was called the Macon Discotheque and was a favorite playing place for the Allman Brother's Band. We have pictures of when the Bibb County Board of Education was located in our building, however, we have no definite dates on when this was. Likewise, we've heard that it was home to a ballet and dance studio at one time, but also have no dates on this. So, since our history seems to be so shrouded in mystery, we are looking for any Maconites or Middle Georgia residents who may know a little about our building's 120 year history. Help us track down the stories, photographs, and memories that are bound to be out there. If you know anyone with a story, especially first-hand accounts, we would love to add their story to our history collection. Once our timeline is complete, we will debute the stories for all of Middle Georgia to hear, read, and share. Please write to us with your stories, copies of pictures, and anything else you may have regarding our building. You can send your letters, stories, and photographs to: 120 Year History Project The Library Ballroom PO Box 102 Macon, GA 31202 or email it to us at admin@libraryballroom.com Thanks for your help! We look forward to reading all of your letters and hearing your thoughts!