NATCHEZ, Miss. – Contractors will be sought in the coming weeks for demolishing the downtown Fry building so city officials in December can review the proposed costs as efforts continue for making its space a parking lot.
This is part of developers’ plans for the adjacent Eola hotel being renovated and reopened in 2027.
Meeting Tuesday with Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson and city aldermen, Community Development Director James Johnston said published notices will be posted for contractors to submit their demolition proposals later this month and next month prior to bids being opened in December for review.
The city-owned Fry building, which has been ridden with asbestos, is being razed with the help of more than $1 million in state and federal cleanup funds for transforming the site into a parking lot.
Plans call for demolition of the 1950s-era Fry to begin by next March — paving the way for refurbishing the now-closed Eola to become a Marriott-affiliated hotel.
The Eola has been vacant since 2014 as developers struggled to finance its renovations, which have been projected to cost more than $30 million. However, they and Gibson express confidence the hotel will be back in business in 2027 to mark the 100th year of the hotel’s construction.
“Things take time, but this is a fantastic achievement,” Gibson said Tuesday. “We have not given up.”
The mayor said he’s talking with more businesses also hankering to locate in Natchez that he can’t divulge until deals are done. “We’re sitting on several things right now we cannot announce,” he said.
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