Contact: Bill Wagnon
A prime downtown Jackson location will get a $4.2 million facelift and a unique Mississippi State academic program will get a new home, thanks to private contributions and university financial support.
The university will use gifts of a building, property and cash, along with revenue bond sales, to renovate a Capitol Street building to house the School of Architecture's fifth-year program and to construct an adjoining facility for student housing.
The school is the state's only professional architecture training program. Students complete their fifth year of studies in-residence in Jackson to take advantage of the area's urban resources. It also is the only program of its kind in the country where the final year is required at an off-campus location.
"This is a significant boost for our program and for downtown Jackson," said Roy Decker, fifth-year program director. "Not only will this serve as a dynamic tool for reshaping downtown Jackson into a thriving urban center, but it will help us better educate our future architects as well as provide architectural services to the area through our outreach programs."
The fifth-year program has been operating out of various locations in the Capital City since 1977. Currently in a President Street building leased from the city, the program earlier was housed in the Universities Center on Ridgewood Drive.
The architecture school is involved actively in several urban revitalization projects through its Jackson Community Design Center, including renovation of "shotgun houses" in the Farish Street District and redevelopment planning for the historic Noble and King Edward hotels.
Jackson philanthropist Stuart C. Irby Jr. is donating to the university the historic Kress "five and dime" building at 509 E. Capitol St. He is the retired chairman of the board of Stuart C. Irby Co. and Irby Construction Co.
MSU's College of Education also will occupy an office in the building for its Jackson-based programs.
When renovated, the 20,000-square-foot, three-story structure will contain classrooms, student studios, the community design center, a distance learning classroom, lecture hall, and public art gallery. Additionally, a university merchandise store will be located in the building.
Decker said Irby, now president of Soli Deo Gloria Foundation, was instrumental in the Bank of Mississippi's donation to MSU of an adjacent building at 515 E. Capitol St. Located next to the bank's main office, the existing structure--once home to Standard Photo--will be demolished to make way for a new 17,000-square-foot, four-story residence containing 16 student apartments.
Renovation of the 509 E. Capitol location is scheduled to begin in January, with completion set for the following December. Construction of the adjacent student housing will begin in April 1999 and be ready for use in July 2000.
The Bank of Mississippi will construct new offices at an adjacent 519 E. Capitol St. location, with the possibility for additional floors for future expansion.
The School of Architecture has launched a $1.5 million fund-raising drive to secure a portion of the money needed to complete the two projects, according to Liz Brister, the architecture school's development director. Irby and the Meridian-based Phil Hardin Foundation together are pledging $300,000 toward the effort in the form of a challenge gift.
"These generous gifts have done much to position us for a successful fund-raising drive," Brister said. "We will use these lead gifts to seek others to join this project."
She said that the university would finance the remainder of the needed funding through the sale of Educational Building Corporation bonds.
"We are indeed fortunate to have friends and supporters who recognize the importance of the state's only architecture school," said architecture Dean John McRae. "We have been an integral part of the Jackson community for many years, and this move will give us a more prominent presence in the city, along with an opportunity to better serve the needs of the downtown environment."
"We are tremendously excited about participating in this project, and we hope we can help their dreams come true," said Mark Porter, Hardin Foundation board president.
Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, the architecture school is the first in the nation to require students to use laptop computers in their design classes and laboratories. Last year, the MSU student chapter of the American Institute of Architects was co-recipient of national chapter of the year honors.