Hotel King Edward - Jackson, Mississippi

A Visit to the King Edward Hotel in Jackson, Mississippi

For those of you who don't know, I live in Jackson, Mississippi. It's a nice town in the middle of a state with a lot of potential. I love my state, even though there are many things it needs to overcome. I hope to be part of that one day, to let everyone know how wonderful a place this is.

But we're not without problems. One of the largest problems we have right now is our mayor. He keeps his job by playing to the fears of the black community in our town, telling them that other people are out to take away what little they have. He constantly blocks any form of progress in the city, because in reality he benefits from holding the city back. It's the only thing that keeps him in the job.

One of the things he keeps blocking is the sale of the King Edward Hotel. For those of you who've been to the Peabody in Memphis, it doesn't hold a candle to what the King Edward can be. Inside, the lobbies are of marble and limestone, and at one time gold and stained glass. Today, it is abandoned.

It was designed during the heyday of Jackson, when skyscrapers began to pop up and industry moved into town. It's right next to the trains that connect us with Chicago and New Orleans. It also shares a block with the 24-story Standard Life building that houses offices and the police department as their main offices are renovated.

Now, however, the only occupants are birds. It was formerly invaded by street people, but a new fence was erected around it last year after a fire. MCI Worldcom was looking at buying it in order to set up a telecommunications training center, but have since abandoned the idea.

The building was the focus of the west side of downtown. The surrounding blocks were filled with restaurants, shops, it was the life of downtown. One of the more interesting features was a café on the corner of the building that had windows looking out onto the busy street. Today, the windows are gone.

Other hotel features were also available. There was a finely appointed bar, an upstairs lounge for the influential men about town, and even a barber shop.

Because the building took up the entire block, a parking garage was tucked away inside the middle of the structure. You get in by driving in an entrance next to the café.

The building is finely appointed, and there is such tremendous detail in everything. Under each window of the third floor, there is a different shield.

The entrance is grand. Inside is a three-story stained glass dome roof, and a large front desk. Now that the fence is up, I can't go inside, but we can still see the exterior. Even with its current condition, the beauty of this building is still apparent.

The surrounding neighborhood is falling apart. Without an anchor to hold the area together, business have left. The mayor dug up Farish Street to the left in order to do some construction, then pulled the funding. Now, one of the most lively areas downtown is almost dead. But the potential still remains.

I walked a few blocks up to the Mayflower diner. It's a pretty popular place on Friday nights with the date crowd, so I put my name on the list and waited for a seat at the counter. As I had my dinner, I couldn't help but think about how much revitalizing this one building could improve the entire area. With just a bit of financing, and a good bit of remodeling, the building could once again serve as a beautiful hotel, a residence for downtown workers, a meeting place for the community, and a hub of downtown life.

Unfortunately, I can't even fathom that I'd be able to get the money, or the backers, or even the approval to do it. So, until then, I'll just have to hope that someone else gets to my dream before I

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