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NATCHEZ — The Natchez Preservation Commission gave preliminary approval on Wednesday night for the demolition of the Fry Building.

Located at the corner of South Pearl and Franklin streets, Walter Davis donated the building and property to the City of Natchez in August 2021 for use in developing the Eola Hotel.

Though the hotel’s development is taking longer than expected because of huge increases in the cost of construction, the city is moving forward with the demolition of the building and the construction of a parking lot.

The city’s new planning director, Mingo Tingle, attended his first preservation commission meeting Wednesday night.

“The approval is contingent on the Mississippi Department of Archives and History making the determination that the building is not a potential Mississippi landmark,” Tingle said. “Also, because a federal grant is involved with the project, it is considered a federal undertaking. The MDAH will have to determine that the demolition of the building will not have an adverse effect on a historic resource.”

The Fry Building was constructed in approximately 1955 or 1956.

“I don’t want to speak for the commission, but the building had a significant alteration to the exterior when they applied that coating to the building and I think that will make it ineligible as a landmark or historic resource,” Tingle said.

He said the city will also provide the preservation commission with a plan for the temporary parking area’s design and construction materials.

“Then, we will have a future plan to present to them for the permanent parking lot, which will be much more attractive than the temporary parking lot,” Tingle said.

He complimented the members of the preservation commission on the work they do.

“The preservation commission is a really strong commission. They thoroughly review the projects. They understand the preservation ordinance and I was very pleased by the way they handle their work. The questions they ask are intelligent. I spent 20 years working with preservation commissions all over the state and one of the things we set out to do during those training sessions was to really get other commissions to the level the Natchez Preservation Commission works at,” he said.