MSU-Meridian Riley Campus undergoes historic renovations to windows

Contact: Marianne Todd

MERIDIAN, Miss.—A restoration project underway through October at Mississippi State University-Meridian’s Riley Campus will replace custom windows on the campus’  5th Street side in a continuing effort to preserve the integrity of the 19th-century buildings.

Funded through a gift from The Riley Foundation, the $1 million-plus project was authorized by the Mississippi Department of Archives, which approved the custom windows that complement the historic structures.

“This project would not be possible without the continued support of the Riley Foundation,” said Morgan Dudley, MSU Riley Center director of conferences, events and operations. “We’re so very appreciative of their vision and continued endeavors for the crown jewel of Meridian.”

In its heyday, the Riley Center’s 900-seat theater, formerly known as the Grand Opera House, was lit with gas lanterns and featured popular operas and vaudeville acts. Today it includes adjacent conference space and a grand ballroom in the adjoining former Marks-Rothenberg Department Store, a popular destination that offered residents four stories of merchandise.

Windows to the Deen Building, adjoining the theater to its west, already have been installed. The Deen Building is the former Newberry Building, also a gift from The Riley Foundation, that now houses the university’s newly created Accelerated Master of Science in Nursing program.

“The Riley Center was the city’s first major historic preservation effort, and while it paved the way for the preservation of more downtown structures, the initiative was the genesis that would ink another $250 million in the economic growth and development of downtown Meridian,” Dudley said. “This renaissance led to the development of the nearby Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience and to the renovation of the Threefoot Hotel, which serves as the hospitality destination for our conference guests. As a result, the downtown area has blossomed with restaurants and boutiques, all surrounding this very important gem.”

The theater was closed in 1927 during the rise of the silent theater era. In the 1990s a group of concerned Meridian residents formed the historic preservation society that would eventually sell the buildings to The Riley Foundation. Their vision and gift of a $10 million endowment pristinely salvaged and restored The Riley Center for a 2006 grand reopening.

Crews began work in August to shore up the stucco and paint on the 5th Street side of the building, and while some entrances are roped off, guests may enter through the building’s 22nd Avenue doors.

“We are continuing business through this important project, and we look forward to welcoming guests to our upcoming performances and conference spaces,” Dudley said.

The MSU Riley Center will host The War and Treaty on Sept. 19, Gladys Knight on Oct. 10, and Mac McAnally on Nov. 9.

The historic Riley Center is online at www.msurileycenter.com.

Mississippi State University is taking care of what matters. MSU-Meridian is online at www.meridian.msstate.edu.