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The Historic Natchez Foundation is holding its annual meeting on Thursday, Jan. 16, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the new event venue Louie, Louie’s at 515 Main St.

Marty and Cathy Buchman of Frankie’s on Main have leased the building and given it new life as a special events venue. The Buchmans are hosting the Historic Natchez Foundation’s Annual Meeting as their grand opening. The Grand Opening and Annual Meeting are free to Historic Natchez Foundation members. You may join ahead of time or at the membership table at the door. The annual meeting will begin with a cocktail buffet and conclude with a short business meeting to elect new board members and present the 2024 awards.

The Louie, Louie’s building at 515 Main Street has a storied history. The Natchez Democrat very closely followed the 1872 construction of the new brick building for Donaldson & Co.—from the April demolition of existing buildings at the corner of “Main and Locust streets” to the November opening of the new store that continued its previous trade in books, stationery, and toys as well as music and pianos.

Donaldson & Co. occupied only half of the first story and leased the remainder. In 1897, James J. Cole & Co. acquired the building, which they fully occupied and renovated, applying the exterior stucco that was originally intended. Cole’s had the longest tenancy in the building’s history, and after the death of James J. Cole, was successfully operated from 1950 to 1975 by the Abrams brothers, who sold it to Sam Green.

By 1979, Green had relocated Cole’s to the Natchez Mall, where it soon failed. In the early 1980s, gift shop partners Katherine Killelea, Barbara Kaiser, and Carla Johnson bought the building, which is today owned by a Killelea family member.

In addition to preserving historic architecture and historic public records, the Historic Natchez Foundation also has a growing archive and collection that preserves Natchez cultural history.  At the meeting, we will play recordings of Natchez musicians from the past including Blake Wadsworth, Bill LaMond, Jim Easterling, Charles Borum, Brother O’Farrell, and others! Roy Price donated reel-to-reel recordings of these musicians, which Bazile Lanneau has digitized.

Historic preservation awards will be given out at the meeting for recent projects. The Ethel and George Kelly Restoration Award will be given to Missi and Butch Johnson for their extensive restoration of Foster’s Mound after a devastating fire and to the General Missionary Baptist State Convention of Mississippi for the meticulous restoration of Huddleston Memorial Chapel at Natchez College. The Volunteer of the Year award will be given to Barbara Hanley in recognition of her tireless work assisting the Foundation.  Awards of merit will be given out for the following projects: Baoyum Wang and James Mooney, 508 North Union Street; Liz Dantone, 518 South Union St.; Sarah Freeman, 300 Linton Avenue; Beulah Missionary Baptist Church, Steeple Restoration; City of Natchez, Yazoo & Mississippi Valley Railroad Depot; Terry and Doug Merritt, Winchester House; Paige and Glenn Ballard, 311 North Union Street; Toni and Clark Thompson, 715 State Street; Carolyn Cosgriff, 607 Oak Street; Bridget and Glenn Green, Aldrich Building; Butter Cakery, 404 Main Street; Marcy and Joseph Brown, Bahin House; Ron Kammerdeiner, 110 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Street; and the Morris/Arthur Family, 433 Main Street.

Come eat, drink, and be merry in the new year to celebrate the rebirth of 515 Main St.

Carter Burns is the executive director of the Historic Natchez Foundation.