MERIDIAN, Miss. (Queen City Newsfeed) – The MSU Riley Center is celebrating two decades since its historic renovation with a special Lunch and Learn event hosted by the East Mississippi Business Development Corporation.
The event welcomed Dr. Paul Castagno, professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, who played a key role in the early stages of the Riley Center’s restoration. Castagno first visited Meridian in the summer of 1991 to create a research document on the Grand Opera House — a study that helped pave the way for the building’s revival after it had fallen into disuse in 1927.
“People seemed very excited at the time,” Castagno recalled. “You know, I’d walk around downtown, a lot of people didn’t even know about it. That’s the amazing thing. A lot of people didn’t know this opera house had this legacy and here it was, right in their back yard.”
Castagno’s research, created in collaboration with the late Elliott Street, was instrumental in gaining recognition for the theater through the League of Historic American Theatres (LHAT), which in turn helped attract state and local funding for its restoration. The project was ultimately brought to life through the support of the Riley Foundation, Mississippi State University, and community members who believed in preserving the building’s history.
During Thursday’s event, Castagno reflected on the impact of that collective effort. “Just that you have this marvelous facility here in town, and it’s a testimony really to all those who contributed for it and believed in it,” he said. “The university coming in on it, the Riley Foundation, and the people like Elliott Street who really believed in it. Sela Ward, she was a part of it. So, I think a lot of people kind of swelled into actually getting it done.”
The MSU Riley Center, which reopened in 2005 after extensive renovations, continues to serve as a cultural hub for Meridian and East Mississippi, hosting concerts, educational programs, and community events.
More information on upcoming events at the Riley Center can be found at www.msurileycenter.com.
