Contact: Joe Farris
A $10 million commitment from the Riley Foundation is helping pave the way for a proposed education and conference center that would occupy historic buildings in downtown Meridian.
Plans outlined today [Feb. 3] call for converting the 1890 Grand Opera House and the adjacent 1889 Marks-Rothenberg Building into a state-of-the-art center that would spur economic development and downtown revitalization. A 500-car drive-up parking garage would be built nearby.
Mississippi State President Malcolm Portera announced the project, which is being coordinated by the university. Riley Foundation representatives and officials of Meridian and Lauderdale County joined him for a press conference on the MSU-Meridian campus. Also taking part were state Rep. Charles Young of Meridian and 3rd District Congressman Chip Pickering.
"I have never seen an opportunity that rivals this one for the potential it has to transform the heart of a community," said Portera, who guided economic development projects in several states before becoming MSU president.
The $10 million gift from the Riley Foundation is the first component of what supporters hope will be a $26 million fund for renovation and construction needed to create the Riley Education and Performing Arts Center. The remaining funds are being sought from city, county and federal sources.
"Bringing back the character of downtown Meridian is a dream I have had for some time," Pickering said. "Securing local, state and private support for this endeavor will make it easier to obtain federal funding. I will continue working to pursue federal and private funding opportunities to help restore these historic buildings that will spur growth in the downtown area."
Plans for the Riley Center also call for annual operating appropriations from the state Legislature and an additional $5 million endowment raised from private gifts to help permanently fund operation and maintenance.
"This is a first step, but it is a very important and generous first step," Portera said of the Riley gift. "It reflects the level of vitality in this community and the commitment to create here a quality of life unsurpassed anywhere in the state."
The Meridian-based Riley Foundation, chartered in 1998, was established with proceeds from the sale of Riley Memorial Hospital, which was founded in Meridian in 1930 by Dr. Franklin Gail Riley. His sons, Dr. Richard Riley and Dr. William Riley, are Meridian physicians and members of the foundation's board of directors.
The Grand Opera House opened in 1890. For years during the pre-motion picture Vaudeville era it was the venue of such stars as George Gershwin, Will Rogers, Sara Bernhardt, and Helen Hayes. The historic building has been unused for decades and is in serious disrepair. The adjacent Marks-Rothenberg Building was a department store until 1990 and now is vacant.
The non-profit Grand Opera House of Mississippi Inc. currently owns both buildings and supports the proposal. Ownership of the property likely will be transferred to Mississippi State, Portera said.
The opera house, which once could seat up to 1,500 spectators, is an architectural and historic "diamond in the rough" that is unique in Mississippi and surrounding states, Portera said. The building can be restored to its original grandeur to accommodate theatrical and musical performances, including Broadway-style shows, he said.
The 38,000-sq. ft. Marks-Rothenberg Building would become an education and conference center including interactive classrooms and teleconferencing facilities. Visual and performing arts would be among the academic programs supported by such a center, said MSU-Meridian Dean Bev Norment.
One of the first academic programs to use the conference center could be MSU's School of Architecture, which already uses the opera house as the basis for studies in historic preservation and restoration. Portera said the proposed conference center would be a logical site for a national conference series on the subject.
Meridian-born actress Sela Ward is a longtime proponent of reviving the opera house and has agreed to assist with fund raising and other efforts related to the project, Portera said.
The next steps in bringing the project to reality, Portera said, are to secure funding commitments of $7 million from the City of Meridian, $3 million from Lauderdale County and $6 million from federal and other sources, along with raising $5 million from private sources to fund an operating endowment.
The Legislature will be asked to provide $750,000 a year in ongoing support for programming and operating expenses.
City, county and legislative leaders have expressed support for the project. The Board of Trustees of the State Institutions of Higher Learning will be asked to approve the project at its meeting this month. If all goes according to plan, architects could be at work on the project this summer, Portera said.
"This is a Mississippi State and a community project," Portera said. "We're the facilitators. We're asking the city and county up front for help in completing the project and we're asking the Legislature for continuing support.
"If people in the Meridian community treat this as the impetus to a different future, it can be the most important thing to come along in a long time," Portera said.
He noted that private investors are considering plans for additional hotel space and restaurants in proximity to the proposed conference center.