MERIDIAN, Miss. (Queen City Newsfeed) – “It’s unfortunate, but this is one of the last buildings we have. That’s why it’s so important to save it, to save all of it. Because, we don’t have many more buildings that we can save. These are one of the last ones,” said Dr. Otis Gowdy Jr.
Gowdy recently purchased the historic Holbrook building on 5th street in Downtown Meridian, the Former headquarters of the Holbrook Benevolent Association, which housed insurance agencies, a funeral home, medical services, and a newspaper– just to name a few.
He said this area was once a jewel in the crown of the Queen City.
“5th street was just a bustling place. All of the buildings are gone. It was buildings on every corner of 5th street. It was like a, I’ve been told it was like a little mini New York. It was, you know, sidewalk traffic,” said Gowdy.
During that time, the Holbrook building had many functions.
“Over the years it has severed many many other purposes from church conventions, NAACP conventions, as well as societal events and also rally. It was really integral in the 1960s during the Civil Rights era as well. This building is also significant because it also served as a headquarters for The Echo, which was a paper that started in the 1920s telling about community events and information in the African American community,” stated Gowdy. “There are actually 2 printing presses in this building, which is quite impressive. I had no idea that that was here when we purchased the building.”
Gowdy said his goal is to continue to use the building as a multipurpose structure for the benefit of the community.
“So my idea is to restore the building to its former glory. This building, as I’ve learned some of the history, it was multi-purpose for everything. So, that’s the goal. We’re getting back to that,” said Gowdy. “This auditorium served for professional concerts, community concerts, community conventions, Danes, balls, in and of its self, this auditorium that we have…”
“…There are store fronts, there are at least 5 store fronts downstairs on the first floor that we’ll be able to share, and we would like to continue to be a part of the downtown and it’s business development with the storefront opportunities that are there,” said Gowdy.
The integrity of the building has held up well over the years, partly due to a restoration project in 2010 by the Civil Rights Foundation that helped repair the roof.
“That’s what actually saved this building for what it is today. The roof had been dilapidated, but having that fund and having the roof was what really saved the building,” said Gowdy.
Gowdy said there are plans for an elevator and more bathrooms as well.
“I actually have a second building which is right next door to this called Brown’s Barbershop, and it needs dramatic work,” stated Gowdy. “It will actually serve as a support to the Holbrook. It will serve as far as elevator opportunities, bathroom facilities as well. So, we’re striving to get that taken care of as we move into the Holbrook.”
Overall, this is a huge project. The building is about 14,000 square feet, and it will take up to $5 million to repair it, as well as about 2.5 years to complete the restoration, but Dr. Gowdy said that doesn’t scare him.
“Yes, it is a big project, I feel that it’s totally do-able, but we will need help, and that is funds, community funds. We’re looking for investor funds. This project is a historic building— it is registered, and there are tax credits that are available for fundraising that we are moving forward to,” said Gowdy. “There’s so much history, and we’re asking those who have any kind of artifact, who have stories to share, to visit on the website, to visit us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, to reach out to us. And also, if you could make a tax-deductible donation would be great.”
For more information on the Holbrook Building, click here.
