While most people consider a city’s “front yard” a priority, Wimberly Treadwell is working on the city’s backyard. Treadwell, a landscape architect, says that in Macon’s “front yard,” we have it all: architecture, historic venues, and museums, but behind those places, we also have a hidden gem: our alleyways. For most of us, alleyways aren’t a gem, much less a diamond in the rough, but with a little polish, Wimberly Treadwell is turning Macon’s alleyways into a destination.

            This is not Treadwell’s first foray into creating gems in downtown Macon. She began as a city worker making improvements across town, then later she sat on a streetscapes committee tasked to create Cherry Plaza, a public venue nestled between the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and the future site of the Tubman Museum. Much controversy surrounded the initial plaza concepts. Some included fountains, rerouting the traffic, and closing off the street. All the concepts were well beyond the budget. “Eventually, we created a beautiful urban space with well thought out parking,” says Treadwell. “And when you take the cars out of it, you have a striking plaza with an interactive fountain that can be used as a performance area.”

            Right next to Cherry Street Plaza lies the streetscape committee’s current project, what Wimberly calls her “alley project.” A city’s alleyways often hide the parts no one wants to see, like trash bins and service entrances. Nevertheless, a group of attorneys, landscape architects, economists, and students from the University of Georgia met together and determined that Macon’s alleyways were unique public spaces.

            The alleyway project started out small. They took the alley alongside the future site of the Tubman Museum, repaved it, added lighting, and planted greenery. Treadwell says that it wasn’t only about adding plants and paving the alleyways. “Our goal,” says Treadwell, “Is to and creating interesting outdoor areas and make them into something people want to see. We want people to come downtown and be surprised.”

            One of the most surprising pieces in Treadwell’s project is Cherry Street Lane, an alleyway between Poplar and Cherry Street. As you walk down Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard and turn into Cherry Street Lane, you are greeted by a colorful mural painted by students from Westside High School. As walk further into the alley, you come across a patio behind the Hummingbird Stage & Taproom. This patio has enough space for nearly 300 people and features an incredible mural painted by muralist Gregory Lanterman. Hidden behind locked doors is a big-screen television and a projector. While this patio required a partnership with the Hummingbird, “it wasn’t created to support the business,” says Treadwell. “Macon has a climate that allows people to go outside for ten months out of the year, and we created this unique venue in the hopes that people will come.” And come they have. Since the patio opened a short time ago, it has been used for a number of private parties and for Thirsty Thursday.

            Many of the business owners are also joining this effort. Techinicon, for instance, has agreed to maintain the greenery along the Tubman Museum alleyway, and other businesses have started cleaning up their “back porches” by covering over graffiti, picking up the trash, or moving away the clutter.

            “In order to get the downtown experience pleasant, you must make sure everyone’s voices are heard,” says Treadwell. “And we’re creating spaces that are great for everyone.”