MACON — Officials here on Wednesday unveiled renderings of a 10,000-plus-capacity, red-brick arena to be built along I-16 that will, at an estimated $350 million, be the priciest and largest public undertaking of its kind in Middle Georgia’s history.
The for-now-dubbed Macon Arena, with its oval, overhanging rooftop that is symbolic of a vinyl record, an homage to the city’s rich musical heritage, will replace the nearly 60-year-old Macon Coliseum that, until it is razed in a couple of years, sits next door on a high-visibility hillside across the Ocmulgee River from downtown.
The new four-tiered, 230,000-plus-square-foot venue in the city that has been home to Otis Redding, Little Richard and the Allman Brothers is slated to open in summer 2028. The Macon-Bibb County Commission authorized the Urban Development Authority to issue taxable revenue bonds to finance the project.
In addition to being a future venue for concerts and high school graduations, it will be the new home of minor league hockey’s Macon Mayhem and host to Georgia High School Association state basketball championship tournaments, which have long been held at the Coliseum…