NATCHEZ, Miss. – Plans call for the old Broadway Street railroad depot to be renovated by spring into a Natchez visitors center, said Mayor Dan Gibson.
“This is a big deal,” Gibson said. “It is a great thing for Natchez for us to embark on this.”
The city Board of Aldermen voted Tuesday to hire Wilmar Construction Co. of Vidalia for $247,400 to rebuild the depot’s interior for Visit Natchez, the city’s tourism agency.
Gibson said renovations of the circa 1910 building should be completed next year in time for the spring tourism season that begins in March. This comes after a decade of various delays that have left the historic building a gutted, empty shell.
With Natchez receiving a $144,000 historic preservation grant from the state early this year, the city has been moving forward to finish refurbishing the exterior and outfit the interior for a visitors information center.
Built around 1910, the former passenger-train depot is a state-designated Mississippi landmark the city has been struggling to renovate as far back as 2012. After nearly $1 million was spent in state and city funds to restore the exterior in 2016, the building has remained empty as plans for getting a developer to complete the interior’s restoration stalled.
With the city putting in a share of funds to help finish the depot’s restoration, the state Department of Archives & History in January awarded the $144,000 grant earmarked for interior repairs and finishes along with air-conditioning, plumbing and electrical installations.
City officials’ restoration plans call for concentrating only on the southern half of the depot. It’s uncertain what will be done to the building’s other part as the mayor and city aldermen have sought proposals for its use.
Getting the Craftsman-style train station restored has been a key part of the city’s master plan for revitalizing downtown Natchez and the bluff area overlooking the Mississippi River.
Hopes were raised in 2019 when the city leased the building to movie producers Tate Taylor and John Norris to resurrect it into a restaurant and entertainment venue, but those plans were aborted in 2022 when that proved to be unfeasible.
For another long-delayed project, city officials also expressed confidence Tuesday that construction can begin next year for upgrading Morgantown Road as plans are being reworked to curtail costs. “It looks like everything is going to be good to go,” said Alderman Ben Davis.
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