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Farish Street Historical District
300 N Farish St, Jackson, MS
Tel: (601) 949-4000
Jackson, Mississippi
One of the state’s largest economically independent, African-American communities in the state was in what is now known as the Farish Street Historic District. The area is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is designated as a Jackson historic district. In 1996, the neighborhood was listed on the nation’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places, primarily because of the threat to what is the largest concentration of shotgun row house (circa 1930-1950) central to a surviving African-American neighborhood. The Farish Street Historic District Neighborhood Foundation in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation has begun implementing a revitalization plan in the neighborhood. Starting with a core group of shotguns, other residential properties will be addressed to further stabilize the area.
A second structure of historic importance is the Alex Williams House. The Alex Wiliams House or Greystone Hotel has stood abandoned for years and, like the shotgun houses, has deteriorated significantly. Built in 1912, the landmark served first as the residence of Mr. Williams, a prominent local African-American business and property owner. In 1950, it was converted into the Greystone Hotel. Today, this resource needs immediate stabilization.
Equally important and integral to the revitalization of the Farish Street Neighborhood is the commercial district. This three-block stretch of turn-of-the-century and early twentieth-century storefronts was the heart of the African-American economic community until integration. Mostly abandoned and deteriorated, these storefronts need immediate attention as well as a coordinated plan for their use.
