Renovations underway at Wechsler School

Renovations begin on a historic school in Meridian. Phase 1 started today. Built in 1898, The Wechsler School was the first brick public-school building built for African American students using public funds. The Wechsler Foundation hopes to turn the school into a community center.

“What we’re getting ready to do is re-do the roof on the 1951 portion of the building. We’ve been soliciting funds for a long time now. Now we’re getting to a point where people can actually see something come to fruition. This is the first step in order to get the building environmentally secure; the first thing we had to do was the roof,” said Edward Lynch, president of the foundation.

Phases 2 and 3 of renovations will include making restrooms ADA-compliant, building a caterer’s kitchen, and doing electrical work. To fund the project, the foundation says it’s still looking for grants and accepting donations.