Vicksburg native Chris Moore, responsible for a multi-million-dollar restoration of the former Lee paper mill, is restoring three adjoining buildings on Vicksburg’s Main Street.
Construction crews are expected to begin the work at 106, 108 and 110 South Main in coming weeks. Exterior renovation will last through the summer. Interior renovations will continue over the next 12 to 24 months.
Vicksburg-based Frederick Construction serves as general contractor. HopkinsBurns Design Studio of Ann Arbor serves as the historic architect. Both are longtime collaborators with Moore. Eckert Wordell of Kalamazoo serves as the architect for interior renovations.
In 2022, Moore and his local staff collaborated with the village and historical consultant Cheri Szcodronski to place hundreds of commercial and residential properties on the National Register of Historic Places. The designation allows downtown developers to pursue tax credits for their projects.
Restoration of the three buildings follows Moore’s most recent endeavor to fully restore nearby buildings on Prairie Street into the popular Mackenzies Bakery and Prairie Ronde Artist Residency. These buildings have been designated on the National Register of Historic Places.
Moore is proud of the National Register designation. In the 1980s, his mother, the late Sue Moore, owned a nearby building that was eventually sold and torn down to make room for a parking lot. Witnessing the loss of a historically significant building inspired Moore to save as many buildings as possible.
“I strongly believe that small towns are going to rebound and be highly desired places to live and socialize in the future,” said Chris Moore. “A strong factor in bringing business and people back to ‘Main Street’ will be the charm and aesthetic appeal that historic buildings in small towns offer, compared to the cookie-cutter, generic atmosphere of suburban retail areas.”
Another benefit, according to Moore, is how the restoration of the downtown buildings directly correlates to The Mill.
“We see the investment in the downtown restoration as serving the same goals, which is to bring commerce to Vicksburg and ensure our buildings will be healthy and profitable for the next 200 years,” Moore said. “I’m excited to help the village bring these beautiful buildings back to life, and I’m passionate about ensuring that future generations can enjoy Vicksburg’s historic charm. The National Register designation will help protect these buildings for generations.”
During the renovation efforts, one of the building’s tenants, The Mill at Vicksburg Visitor Center at 106 S. Main, will temporarily relocate to 101 E. Prairie Street, a Moore-owned building connected to Mackenzies’ Bakery. The Visitor Center is where visitors can learn more about project updates at The Mill and other downtown restoration efforts. The other tenant in the space, at 108 and 110 S. Main, is Cone Top Brewery Museum, another project of Moore’s. The museum will temporarily close. When it reopens, it will serve as the anchor tenant of the space and occupy more space.
Aside from his desire to restore the physical structures in a way that highlights their historical features, Moore’s other motivation is to lure high-quality businesses that will continue to bring more people to the downtown area, something that has been successful within his past renovations.
“The people of Vicksburg deserve to have a downtown filled with businesses and retailers that bring value to the community,” Moore said. “We hope our efforts will lure some entrepreneurs and established businesses to try the area.”
Moore’s longtime architecture partner agrees with the thinking behind the renovation efforts.
“Having a vibrant downtown is extremely important to the success of a community,” said Gene Hopkins of HopkinsBurns Design Studio. “Celebrating the architectural heritage of downtown is a key component for expressing its vitality and relevance. Preserving the buildings in downtown Vicksburg enriches the community by celebrating its past.
“Chris Moore is doing just that. As preservation architects, we are very excited to be the architects working with Chris in restoring the downtown buildings, celebrating Vicksburg’s heritage.”
