We have a short-ish round up this week – meaning that you will still have plenty of time to search for the most popular commercials from this year’s Super Bowl.

Our first story this week is in regards to the Governor’s Mansion in Jackson.  The Sun Herald ran an Associated Press story about the temporary closure of the mansion while it undergoes $425,000 in renovations.  The closure is not only for visitors, but the renovations also must be complete before Governor Phil Bryant and his family can move in.  Work started last week and is expected to be completed in mid-April.  According to the story, the work includes mechanical modifications to the heating and air conditioning system, exterior repainting of the house and fence, and new roofs for the gazebos on the grounds.

Staying with the Sun Herald, they ran an update on the blighted buildings in Biloxi that we’ve been seeing recently (it seems like I’ve had one story like this each week for the past month or so).  The Community Development Director told the paper that Melvin’s Plumbing on Howard Avenue, the old Buddy Gunn building on Reynoir Street and the movie theater on Beach Boulevard are being torn down. The Hancock Bank building on Beach Boulevard will be demolished the week after Mardi Gras. I think Thomas Rosell is working on a post about a few of the Biloxi buildings mentioned in recent weeks.

Up in Hernando, the DeSoto Times Tribune reports that AT&T has withdrawn its permit application for a cell tower near a pivotal 1863 battlefield.  I had mentioned this cell tower project a few round-ups ago because local preservationists were against it and MDAH had said that the tower would have an adverse effect on the historic site.  This new story says that AT&T is re-evaluating the area – hence withdrawing the permit.  It is possible that they will find a different location that meets the coverage needs without adversely affecting the Battlefield.

Here’s a story from the Clarion Ledger that I missed including in last week’s round up.  It’s about Carr Central in Vicksburg and the renewed hope the building’s owners have about turning it into housing (instead of it remaining vacant like it is now).  They are reviewing proposals to develop the former school into a moderate income, multifamily complex or elderly apartments – and are especially keen on plans that use affordable housing tax credits to help offset the costs to develop the property. The article doesn’t mention whether they’ll be including historic preservation tax credits into the mix, but that has been discussed with past proposals for this massive building.

Did anyone make it to Meridian for the ribbon cutting of the newly renovated City Hall?  The Star‘s story on the festivities make it sound like everyone was impressed.  Sadly, the article does not include photos that really show those of us who couldn’t get there what the results were.  If anyone’s got photos – I know we’d love to see them if you will share them with us!

Finally, in Hattiesburg, the American  is continuing to run tidbits about historic buildings in the Hub City.  This one is on the 6th Street USO Building – which is now the African-American Military History Museum.  It’s a really short piece – and you’d probably learn more by visiting MDAH’s database page on the building – but I love that the American is continuing to shine a light on their community’s fantastic buildings.  I hope other newspapers follow their lead.

Categories: African American History, Biloxi, Cool Old Places, Demolition/Abandonment, Gulf Coast, Hattiesburg, Hernando, Historic Preservation, Jackson, Meridian, MS Dept. of Archives and History, News Roundups, Renovation Projects, Vicksburg