The Mississippi Arts Commission is looking to help Hazlehurstget its historic Faler Opera House back up and running with a$15,000 grant awarded as a part of the Building Fund for the Artsprogram.

The 14,000 square-foot building is located on Georgetown Streetin a blighted area across the railroad tracks from the HazlehurstDepot in downtown Hazlehurst.

Copiah County Cultural Affairs Director Dr. Janet Schriver saidopera house supporters are glad to have a place to start for theprogram, which will probably require about another $400,000 to getthe project off the ground.

“We’re delighted to have a grant from the arts commission andit’s seed money to start our fundraising campaign,” Schriver said.”What we’re really trying to do for the first stage isplanning.”

Schriver said planners have been talking to architect RobertAdams, who worked on the Eudora Welty house restoration, as well asMississippi State University’s Riley Center at their MeridianCampus.

The facility will be used not only for performances in the oldopera house, which is located on the second floor of the building,but also for cultural arts classes such as dance and theateroffered through the office of Cultural Affairs. Schriver said thereare just a few hurdles before at least some of those things becomea reality.

“If we can get it purchased and get the bats out, the buildingis such that we can go ahead and get classes started,” she said.”The rooms are big enough for dance and theater and we’re trying todo some things like add a musical recording studio, and even withjust space the way it is right now we can do those kinds of thingsfairly easily.”

Schriver said the building has been used for many things, suchas a skating rink and a co-op, but that it has always been agathering place.

“It’s been a little bit of everything, but it has always been aplace people came together,” she said. “It would be so nice tobring it back to where people can gather there and enjoy thearts.”

The project is still a little way from coming to fruition, butSchriver said it is something her office will continue to worktowards until the opera house serves the entire area, just as itdid in the 1800s.

“We’re just going to apply for all the possible funding we cango for, and we really hope that center ends up serving again likeit did in the 1800s as a regional cultural center,” she said.