Page 12 - South Mississippi Living - December, 2021

COAST NOTE
BEFORE
AFTER
DOWNTOWN PASCAGOULA
Gets a Facelift
story by Lynn Lofton photos courtesy of Ramsay Taylor
Downtown Pascagoula is getting a facelift from residents who love it. Now that the National Park Service has designated downtown Pascagoula as a historic district, it’s a lot easier. Along with the designation comes historic tax credits that are helpful for renovations. Of the 84 properties in downtown Pascagoula, city leaders say 53 are eligible for the historic tax credits.
Ramsay Taylor, owner of Tay’s Bar-be-que, couldn’t be more pleased with this latest development. “We got this designation by having so many buildings qualify, meaning that all qualify,” he said. “That makes a huge difference because individual building owners don’t have to apply, and it opens the properties up to investors who want to renovate historic buildings.”
City manager Michael Silverman is optimistic the move will bring back a vibrant downtown atmosphere that he believes was lost in Hurricane Katrina. “First, it recognizes the great history that Pascagoula offers to our community and our region.”
Taylor is actively involved in Pascagoula’s historic renovations with two buildings he owns. His plans call for mixed-use development with retail businesses and apartments, especially for young people. “I moved home 20 years ago after college and
had to live with my parents,” he says. “I want to get more young professionals living here. They make their money here but many live elsewhere.”
Noting the area’s outstanding employers such as Ingalls, Chevron, Halter Marine and Singing River Health System, Taylor feels young professional employees need interesting places to live — apartments within walking distance of retail, restaurants and bars. Later these young people will buy homes and raise families in Pascagoula as others take their places downtown.
“The downtown spaces are not complete yet but they’re already rented,” Taylor says. One of his properties, the Odd Fellows Lodge, was built in 1906 and purchased by him four years ago because it was “too good a deal to pass up.” He brought in Chris Chain, a Columbia, Mississippi, consultant and contractor,
who was not turned off by the mess. The transformation, as evidenced by before and after photos, is amazing.
“By this time next year, there will be 80 plus of these units downtown,” he added. “Everybody has a common goal now.”
12 | December 2021 www..smlliiviing..nett | SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living