JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – The Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) Board of Trustees approved a demolition permit for the Eudora Welty Library building in Jackson during its April 19 quarterly meeting.

The permit approval followed a period of public comment during which two comments were received supporting the demolition and three against, according to officials.

This building was built in 1946 as a Sears department store. In the late 1980s, it became the downtown public library and was named for Mississippi author Eudora Welty. By 2023, the building was in serious disrepair, the City of Jackson declared that it would no longer maintain it, and the Jackson/Hinds Library Board voted to move the library to a different location.  

MDAH officials said they will continue to work with the City of Jackson and the Jackson/Hinds Library Board to mitigate the loss of the historic building. Proposed strategies include providing MDAH grant funds for the adaptive reuse of a downtown historic building to house the library. 

In 2024, MDAH acquired the library property with plans to replace the building with a new public park and green.

MDAH is working with a national firm that specializes in park design to create a vista between the Two Mississippi Museums and State Street, which will connect to the Museum Trail and enhance the experience of visitors to the Two Mississippi Museums.

The first $1 million for the project was donated by retired businessman Noble T. Crigler, and the park will be named after his late wife, Margaret Ann Crigler. The Mississippi Legislature has provided funding for the project, and the remaining funds will be raised privately by the Foundation for Mississippi History.