New Concert Series Planned
DOWNTOWN ASSOCIATION SETS
LIVE-AFTER-FIVE PROGRAMS FOR APRIL
A new series of entertainment programs have been developed by the Historic Hattiesburg Downtown Association for Friday evenings during April and October, at Town Square Park. There will be no admission charge, and all “Live” programs are open to the public. The inaugural program will be 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. on Friday evening April 4.
“We felt that a program to provide entertainment, food, and generally a place to go after work, at the end of the week would be well received in the downtown area, “Sarah Newton, President of the Downtown Association said. “The program is intended to acquaint people who may not have frequented the downtown area, with what the area has to offer,” Newton said.
Each program in April will headline a different band: April 4, Jukejoint Duo (Cedric Burnside & Lightnin’ Malcolm); April 11, Grupo Fantasma; April 18, Celtic Crossroads; April 25, Lost Bayou Ramblers.
Food will be available from food booths, provided by participating downtown restaurants. Different restaurants will offer food for sale at each Live-After-Five event. Official Live-After-Five “T” shirts will also be on sale at each event, by JMH Graphics
The beverage booth will be under the sponsorship of Sacred Heart School. Proceeds from the sale of beverages will be for the Sacred Heart Forensics Team to go to national competition in May.
The new program is made possible by the Promotion Partners for the Downtown Association. The Promotion Partners include: Albert & Associates Architects, Bancorp South, brownstones’, C&M Music Center, The Chain Companies, DC General Contractors, Economy Supply Company, Finlo Construction Company, Inc., Hattiesburg American, Hattiesburg Publishing Company, JMH Graphics, L & A Contracting, Mississippi Power Company, Neel-Schaffer, Inc., RARE Design, Regions Bank, Saenger Theater, Southern Miss University Activities Council, The University of Southern Mississippi, USM College of Arts and Letters, entertainment Visit HATTIESBURG, Waites & Associates, Warren Paving Company, WDAM-TV 7, WHLT-TV 22,WUSM Willmut Gas.
Live-After-Five is a program of the Historic Hattiesburg Downtown Association.
HHDA receives 2007 National Main Street Accreditation
Historic Hattiesburg Downtown Association (HHDA) has been designated as a 2007Accredited National Main Street Program for meeting the commercial district revitalization standards set by the National Trust Main Street Center.
“Rebuilding a district’s economic health and maintaining that success requires broad-based community involvement and support in addition to establishing a solid organization with sound management that is committed to long-term success,” said Doug Loescher, director of the National Trust Main Street Center, explaining the significance of being nationally accredited.
The National Trust Main Street Center helps communities of all sizes revitalize their traditional historic commercial districts. Main Street Programs are currently active in more than 1,150 downtowns and neighborhood business districts nationwide. In order to be among the 650 nationally certified programs, however, a Main Street Program has to meet all 10 standards of performance required by the Main Street Center.
HHDA, for instance, has been receiving an increasing-amount of support from both the public and private investors in the community, as well as the increasing number of memberships since it participated in the Main Street Program in 2000, meeting the requirement of “broad-based community support.”
In addition, HHDA “has developed vision and mission statements relevant to community conditions and to the local Main Street Program’s organizational stage.” HHDA, for example, has a mission to revitalize and develop Historic Hattiesburg Downtown in cooperation with city and county governments and other partners
“We are committed to the preservation of Downtown’s historic character, revitalization and economic and cultural development,” said Bernice Linton, executive director of HHDA. “Without support from our community, HHDA couldn’t have received this accreditation, and its mission cannot be achieved. We truly appreciate all support from our community, and we will keep making every effort to achieve our mission.”
Some of the other criteria require that a Main Street Program:
- Possess and exhibit an historic preservation ethic
- Have an adequate operating budget
- Report key statistics and so forth.
Main Street Programs have generated more than $41.6 billion in new investment since 1980. Participating communities have created 349,148 net new jobs, 77,799 net new businesses and revitalized more than 186,820 buildings, leveraging an average of $25.76 in new investment for every dollar spent on Main Street initiatives.
For more information on the National Accreditation Program, go online to www.mainstreet.org/nationalprograms.
Downtown Association releases ’07 historic building ornament
Historic Hattiesburg Downtown Association announces the release of the 2007 Historic Building Collectible Ornament, featuring Bay Street Presbyterian Church.
This release marks the 8th edition of the series, which started with the Saenger Theater ornament in 2000. By special re-order, HHDA is again making available the first ornament of the series, Saenger Theater. The 1st edition sold out in 2006.
If you haven’t finished – or started – your ornament collection, this year is the time to do it. The new ornament will sell for $10 while the 2nd edition of the Saenger will be $15.
Ornaments from previous years – Main Street United Methodist Church, 2001; Hattiesburg City Hall, 2002; and Hattiesburg Cultural Center, 2003, will each sell for $5. Hattiesburg Depot, 2004; Masonic Temple, 2005; and the Old High School, 2006, will sell for $10 each.
The HHDA ornament series, fabricated by Aitkens Pewter of Canada, is a fundraising project for HHDA.
The Bay Street Presbyterian Church was completed in 1907 and is the oldest surviving church structure in the city. It was designed by well-known Southern architect R.W. Hunt of Chattanooga, Tenn., who also designed Main Street United Methodist Church as well as the original buildings on the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi.
The stucco on brick church is a mixture of styles conveying a Victorian image. Additions have been made since 1907, but the original building remains intact with fixtures, stained glass windows and pews in the sanctuary. Bay Street Church houses the oldest operating pipe organ in the city, a Moeller pipe organ installed in 1922. It continues in regular use.
Bay Street Presbyterian Church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of Hattiesburg Historic Neighborhood District.
The 2006 ornaments will be available starting the week of Nov. 12 at A Gallery, 134 E. Front St.; Avalon Sewing Co., 113 Newman St.; Calico Antiques Mall, 309 E. Pine St.; The Crawford House Cottage, 809 Hardy St.; Downtown Tonsorial Parlor, 119 E. Pine St.; Forrest Paper Co., 511 E. Pine St.; Hattiesburg Visitors Center, 5 Convention Center Plaza; Main Street Books, 210 Main St.; McKenzie’s on Main, 409 Main St.; New Yokel Market, 205 Main St.; Old Town Gifts at Walnut Square, 124 Walnut St.; Roy Calvin Eure Interior Design, 204 W. Front St.; SACKS OUTDOORS, 200 E. Pine St.; Sun Dance Day Spa, 516 W. Laurel Ave.
HHDA offers DVD of development workshop
Historic Hattiesburg Downtown Association now has available a DVD of the Downtown Development Workshop – Making It Happen – for a cost of $10 plus $1.50 shipping and handling.
The one-day workshop covered topics such as financial incentives, housing development, the government development process and the significance of intermodal transportation to downtown development. Speakers included Chris Chain of Renovations of Mississippi, Columbus; Tom Peyton, Donnell & Co. CPA; Patricia Brantley, Neel-Schaffer, Inc., planner and former site plan review administrator; and Gil Carmchael, Managing Partner of Missouth Properties, L.P., Meridian
Leland Speed, former director of Mississippi Development Authority and now chairman of EastGroup Properties, Inc., Jackson, was the keynote speaker at lunch. He noted that all cities must be competitive in a world market and urged the use of models such as Austin, Texas, and Charleston, S.C., to set standards for success.
Speed challenged Hattiesburg in particular to create an aesthetically pleasing corridor on Hardy Street connecting Downtown Hattiesburg with the University of Southern Mississippi, re-emphasizing the necessity of looking good in order to be successful.
To order a copy of the DVD, call 601.583.4329 or send a check or money order for $11.50 to HHDA, P.O. Box 150, Hattiesburg, MS 39403-0150.
Cleanup, stabilization complete at Old High School stabilization
Work has been completed in the cleanup and stabilization of the Old High School, according to Larry Albert of Albert & Associates, architects for the rehabilitations project.
Albert reported at the Historic Hattiesburg Downtown Association meeting Aug. 30 at the Hattiesburg Cultural Center. He said the building has been cleaned out and remaining walls of the front, 1921 section braced. The building is ready for the next phase - rebuilding the front section — to begin.
The upper two stories of the front façade and the entire rear wall of the 1921 building had to be taken down to avoid collapse. The City of Hattiesburg has been assisting the process by providing city trucks to haul off the rubble.
The front section was severely damaged May 29 in an arson caused fire. Two suspects have been arrested in the case, thanks to information provided to Metro Crime Stoppers. The informants will be paid the reward money of $12,500, provided by various entities.
Ken P’Pool, director of the Historic Preservation Division of Mississippi Department of Archives and History, stated that while it was acceptable for the upper portion of the building to be removed in order to stabilize the structure and clean up the building, the façade would have to be rebuilt to its pre-fire design in order to remain eligible for historic preservation assistance.
“The Old High School is on the National Register and must maintain its eligibility as long as MDAH grants and historic tax credits are involved in the funding of the project,” said P’Pool.
Both sources of funding play a critical role in the development of the project. P’Pool also made it clear that MDAH is more supportive than ever in seeing the revitalization of the Old High School.
University of Southern Mississippi officials have stated their commitment to go forward with the project. Plans for the building include housing teaching rooms and faculty offices for the Southern Miss College of of Arts & Letters. A new art gallery, an arts incubator for young entrepreneurs, and a 500-seat auditorium also are planned.
For more information about the restoration, or if you wish to make a tax deductible contribution to the stabilization, please contact HHDA director Bernice Linton at (601) 583-4329.