GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) – The former Gulfport-Harrison County Library is not just any building.
It’s long history from the beginning in 1966 lining the walls of what is now a new event space for Coast Transit Authority.
CTA Advertising and Event Sales Karen Morgan says, “The goal was to restore this back to what it looked like in 1966. The terrazzo flooring, the tile, the iconic staircase. People walk in and they‘re just like, ’Wow, I can‘t believe the staircase is here’.”
After severe damage from Hurricane Katrina, this building was threatened to be demolished.
However, it was a group of women who named themselves “We The People” who saved the building.
Founder Mary Anne Barkley says, “It was a very political battle because most of the politicians wanted it torn down and we were told Gulfport would not get FEMA money which turned out to be totally untrue. If we put books back in here, it were to be a library or it could be a beautiful public building again.”
The Gulfport-Harrison County Library earned a Mississippi landmark status after a four year fight by the women of “We The People”.
Now anyone who comes into this space for meetings, weddings, or even to simply walk through it will see photos dating back to the early 1900s on the importance of this building.
Jim Miller who restored the Gulfport-Harrison County Library photos says, “It’s been pretty much by itself now and there so many tiny things of interest in these pictures that people will find fascinating and something they don’t know now.”
With events already booked into 2025, CTA says they are hopeful with community engagement just like when this building was the Gulfport-Harrison County Library.
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