NATCHEZ, Miss. – The city Preservation Commission has approved the design for an outdoor dining pavilion being built at the Broadway Street train depot as developers hasten to open up their long-stalled business.
Movie producers John Norris and Tate Taylor have been trying for two years to finish restoring the century-old train station and converting it into an eatery and entertainment venue. However, the development has been hampered by cost inflation and supply snags.
Pressured by eagerness in having at least part of the restaurant operating, Norris told the Preservation Commission that they can fast-track build an outdoor dining deck and terrace by the depot. It can be outfitted with a cooking section and bar while they await the arrival of the more-complex kitchen equipment that’s been on backorder for the depot itself.
“The deck is the easiest piece to tackle,” Norris told the commission.
The outdoor dining venue will be on the bluff side of the depot property overlooking the Mississippi River.
The Preservation Commission approved the design of the dining deck and landscaped terrace with a retractable roof and access from the walking path on the bluff’s edge.
The commission regulates the location, design, restoration and construction of buildings and fixtures in the city’s historic district to ensure they’re appropriate.
The Natchez Board of Aldermen in December 2019 selected Norris and Taylor to pursue their plans for the city-owned depot. The board revised the lease on Tuesday to give them an October 2022 deadline to have it operating – a deadline still subject to again being extended.
A state-designated Mississippi Landmark, the former passenger train station was built around 1915. Its exterior was renovated in 2016 by the city, but the building has remained an empty shell as the Board of Aldermen held up plans for getting a developer to complete the interior’s restoration.
Norris said plans continue for completing the depot’s restoration and constructing public restrooms. They’re on a “harmonious path in getting to that place,” he said.
“We do want to get it right,” said Norris, who noted the delays have been “frustrating, but we are getting there.”
Norris connected via the Internet to the commission meeting Wednesday from Los Angeles, where he’s involved in his filmmaking ventures.
In other action Wednesday by the Preservation Commission, approval was given for the location of the Natchez monument honoring Black Union soldiers being planned at the bluff area overlooking the Mississippi River.
Some commission members expressed concerns about pocking the spacious green space at the north end of Broadway Street with a monument of uncertain look and size, but planners can now move forward in getting the shrine funded, designed and fabricated.
The eight-member Natchez Preservation Commission – which rarely is divided in approving NPC applications — voted 5-3 Wednesday to allow siting the shrine on the city-owned property. The location was recommended by a city-appointed committee and approved by the Natchez Board of Aldermen last month.
The commission must also review the monument’s design when its plans are drawn up. It’s also subject to being acceptable to the state Department of Archives & History.
Mayor Dan Gibson last year initiated efforts to honor more than 3,000 Black soldiers who served in Natchez when it was occupied by the Union army beginning 1863.
The large lawn on Broadway and Madison streets in the city’s river bluff area was selected for the monument after more than 25 Natchez sites were reviewed.
The site stands out because of its historical significance and its visual prominence overlooking the Mississippi River, according to a report presented by the Natchez U.S. Colored Troops Monument Committee.
Historical records show Black Union soldiers drilled there with White soldiers when they occupied Natchez during and after the Civil Year.
The site is on the edge of what then was Fort McPherson, the Union earthen fortification that encompassed a large section of north Natchez.
Newly freed slaves in the Natchez area were enlisted into the Union army and focused largely on demolishing the Natchez Forks of the Road slave market and building Fort McPherson, according to historical accounts
Mississippi Landmarks seem to be Landmarks that have been given the status by being on the National Register or by City/County Ordinance. I can’t find where the State designates Landmarks in and of itself. Am I missing something? As far as I can tell the Depot has not been designated as a Landmark by the National Register or the City. Thanks.