It is for me. I knew Franky wouldn't be able to help this situation, just filibuster his way around the issue and making idle threats.

Whose roadblocking the KEH renovation now?

It's still on my mind. In fact, it's been on my mind everytime I've driven by that building. There have been many times in which I just wanted to take a match and burn the thing down. The fact that arson is illegal is the reason why I won't do it.

I'm stayin out of this one.....after the "well deserved" whippins I got on the last "King" site. I think it's just a compicated thing and it is going to take a litle more time. We have one over here too...The Winecoff Hotel project. Just a tough nut to crack. But it will happen.....

From the Clarion Ledger 5.30.06
In other action, the council agreed 6-1 in today’s regular council meeting to accept an agreement to move forward in the King Edward Hotel revitalization.

David Watkins, a partner of King Edward Revitalization Co., said work on the building is expected to begin around Aug. 1.

The building will include condominiums, hotel rooms and restaurants.

This will be the most significant Historic preservation since the Hermitage Hotel in Nashville. It's impact on downtown will be quite significant and will set the tone for all of the rest. This is very great news.

amazing. the day i say something about it, it happens. wonderful.

I'm looking forward to stepping foot insidde this great historic building., I heard so much about it as a kid but it was closed by the time I was born. they need to have a starbucks on the first floor!

your a "pup" JSU....if this was closed before you were born....you haven't known anything but a big scary closed building....your in for a big lift....

My Great Uncle, Fred Barnett (no relation) and his brother both worked on the building. My Dad visited there often in the mid-50's. I've seen pictures of the lobby from the Beaux Arts ball held there nearly a decade or so ago. They'd better not screw up all that marblework in the lobby. Been there since the 30's and supposedly not a crack in it.

It had an oyster bar, with it's own freshwater well. You just don't find stuff like this anymore. The current pigeon coop is a sad, forlorn ghost of a grand building which doesn't deserve destruction.

ATLexile wrote-"your a "pup" JSU....if this was closed before you were born....you haven't known anything but a big scary closed building....your in for a big lift...."

yeah, I was a pee wee. the only businesses I can remember was the barber shop across the street and the train station. and I'm so happy they refurbed that.

Ironghost wrote -"My Great Uncle, Fred Barnett (no relation) and his brother both worked on the building."

my uncle shined shoes out front of that building. that was when the shoe shine booth was a welcomed site for businessmen coming in on the train.

....Ironghost wrote -"It had an oyster bar, with it's own freshwater well. You just don't find stuff like this anymore. The current pigeon coop is a sad, forlorn ghost of a grand building which doesn't deserve destruction"

I was told a lot of famous people stayed in the KEH from Cab Calloway to Nat King Cole to Elvis.

The King Edward will happen.

As most of you are probably aware, the latest delay is another one not of our making. We have had to find an alternate source of the first $2 million in pre-development abatement and demolition funding that the JRA/City had originally agreed to, since the City failed to receive the $2 million BEDI grant from HUD for that purpose.

The legislature, with welcomed support and leadership from Haley Barbour and Leland Speed, I might add, have provided this funding to the Jackson Redevelopment Authority for that purpose. We had to wait until the Governor signed the bill, the JRA approved the changes in the development agreement to incorporate the new source of funding, and the City Council approved the arrangement (there is a mandatory 30-day wait period before JRA can proceed). That was done yesterday. We are now filing our loan application with MDA for the $2 million. We've been advised that it will take 30-45 days for that process, since the state will be issuing bonds to provide the funding.

Once we have the $2 million approved by MDA (which Mr. Speed suggests will not be an issue), then we're off and running with the environmental remediation, a 90-120 day process.

In the interim, we will have our teams of architects, engineers and consultants working on the final drawings, specifications, and construction plans required to actually reconstruct the facility. Once these are completed and approved, and a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) contract will be entered into with our new contractor (yet to be selected - our former one could not wait on us for the last year, as we've waited on the city, HUD, etc), then we'll start with the bricks and mortar part of the reconstruction - hopefully before the end of the year. With a 16-18 month reconstruction schedule, that puts the opening in sometime spring or early summer of 2008.

It looks now as if the total development budget will exceed $60 million, partially from dramatic post-Katrina price increases and partially from a more upscale and comprehensive design of the build-out. However, the benefits and opportunities presented with the GO Zone legislation should provide the additional funding we need to satisfy those increases.

Don't give up. We haven't. If this were an easy process, somebody would have already done it before now.

David Watkins
King Edward Revitalization Company
5-30-06

Good luck with this effort, Mr. Watkins. We all look forward to seeing what your team can accomplish.

I wish that after David gets the King Eddy going that he and HRI would come over here and save the Winecoff......it's the same deal....like identical. What a marvelous thing this will be for the whole Jackson metro......

This is indeed the best news downtown Jackson has seen in a long, long time. This will be the turning point for the health of the city. My hat is off to you Mr. Watkins!

It is indeed wonderful news for downtown Jackson, and it shows that Mr. Watkins kept his eye on the 'big picture' instead of succumbing to Frank Melton's camera-ready ranting and raving. I, too, applaud Mr. Watkins for his persistence, perserverance and vision.

Mr. Watkins, first of all, thank you for posting here. I like it when powers that be post on message boards to tell us what's going on. I'm glad to hear that things are starting to move forward. It seemed like at times that nothing will ever be done about that building, which has sat empty for 40 years now. I wish something could've happened yesterday, but seeing that something will finally happen, I wish you all the best.

This is just a piece of the puzzle in making downtown Jackson a happening place. The King Edward, Farish Street, the Convention Center, Old Capitol Green...this city is not going down the tubes as some detractors may think it is. While I do plan on moving out of state sometime in the next few years, I'd love to be able to come back home and see all the wonderful things going on in downtown.

I agree. Cheers to David Watkins, Deuce McAllister and all the other partners, not to mention some city council people who worked harder than most people know to make this happen.

Take a look at this...

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060607/NEWS01/606070432/1008

This building in Louisville, KY has been empty since 1988. Six inches of bird droppings are on the upper floors. But they are restoring it. And if they can do it with that building, it can be done with the King Edward.