The Board of Aldermen of the City of Starkville held their last formal meeting in the old location this week. They are moving from the building on Lampkin Street that was originally an armory and then repurposed as city hall to their newly constructed location at 110 W. Main.
The old city hall is now officially the Starkville Police Department.
The Lampkin Street building was done in the 1930s as an Art Moderne style which became popular as a nuanced difference from the Art Deco style of architecture prevalent in the 1920s. We are none too far from that building being 100 years old, and it has been recognized as an historical structure that deserves preservation.
Influenced by advancements in the industrial design of ships and planes, the Art Moderne style featured smooth walls with little surface ornamentation. It is so clearly not a typical Southern style of architecture. It is remarkable in its uniqueness.
Whether you like it aesthetically or not, it is an important part of our past and it is worth preserving. When the Board of Aldermen follows through with the plans to renovate it, it will have a proud third life housing our Starkville Police Department.
Alderman Perkins took the point of privilege at the Board’s last meeting there to give his history with the building. He wins the longevity prize for 22 years as an elected official making decisions and voting from that building’s board room.
The building carries with it the history of good decisions and some not so good depending on your point of view. Those decisions have shaped how we live in our community. From having restaurants open for Sunday brunch to allowing the conditions for a community market to thrive. Those decisions created the partnership with MSU for city-wide transportation and a new conference center. Your quality of life is impacted by those choices made from city hall.
I had the privilege of working there for eight years, and it housed some extraordinary people who labored to serve the public to the best of their ability. There were successes and failures, but none of them was for lack of effort or intent.
You don’t know that unless you dig deep enough and stay long enough to learn it. The state of the building didn’t say Starkville cares; it said we let things go until they are tired and worn out and marginal in their efficiency. That isn’t good business and it doesn’t foster investment.
There is something to be said about pride of place. It is no different than the concept of curb appeal when you sell your house, or ensure your office represents your business effectively and efficiently when your customers come calling.
City hall serves as the face our government presents to the public. We are promoting Starkville and our new facility will speak volumes about who we are and what we care about. It matters that people who come to our town can feel their investment isn’t throwing good money into a community that doesn’t invest in itself.
Granted, our government is people and not buildings, but there is an undeniable connection. It is why we build beautiful buildings and create monuments to our history. It is no less so with our city hall. The message we should send to newcomers and visitors is that we value ourselves and by extension, others.
This new building was specifically designed and built to house the functions that our local government provides to our citizens. It houses the technology and the space necessary to provide the services our residents should expect.
It serves as a lovely demarcation of the alpha and omega of our commercial downtown at Main Street. It buffers the beginning of the mostly residential area known as West Main Street. It is the focal point of downtown and the visual fulcrum of our commitment to progress.
Our downtown is vastly improved by its presence. It is a project for which we should continue to thank the previous board of aldermen. They had the vision and the courage to make the hard decision. They believed Starkville could be more and achieve more when we proved we believed in ourselves.
Welcome to our new city hall. It portends good things.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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