(Photo of MS State Fair from MDAC Fairgrounds website)
- The state purchased the site in June. It will be used for additional parking, at least for now.
Demolition of an abandoned Jackson hotel adjacent to the Mississippi State Fairgrounds is slated for completion in December, months after the annual fair is over.
The former Regency Hotel and conference center is being demolished after being vacant for several years. The space will be used for additional parking, according to the Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration (DFA).
The state purchased the hotel in June from Grandana LLC and Jain Ping Zhu, after it sat vacant for nearly three years.
The $5.3 million project is being completed by Flowood-based Reliant Construction. DFA said funds for the project were allocated by the Legislature in SB 2948 during the 2021 legislative session.
Currently, asbestos abatement is underway, per Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality requirements. The abatement is slated for a mid-September completion.
Mississippi has knocked down two other structures near the Regency site, a former restaurant and a hotel.
Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson (R) explained that more parking space was needed for the State Fair, explaining that the fair has upwards of 500,000 annually in attendance.
While DFA said it had no plans for the site, Gipson hinted he had some ideas but would not divulge any clues as to what those plans may be.
Meanwhile, Gipson said he is working with Jackson and state officials on a new entrance to the Mississippi State Fairgrounds. Of those conversations with the Mississippi Department of Transportation and the governor’s office, Gipson said, “I met with the new mayor, John Horhn, about this to make this a beautiful entranceway into the state’s capital city.”
Before its closure in 2022, the hotel was deemed a “death trap” by Jackson Municipal Court Judge Jeff Reynolds, who ordered it closed for the public good after a plethora of safety violations.
Daniel Tyson
