Location Information
(for the Institute Hall Memorial Hall)
Name:Institute Hall (Memorial Hall) [U.S. Courthouse]
Address:109 Pearl Street, South
City/County:Natchez, Adams County
Architectural Information
Construction Date:1852-53
Architectural Styles(s):Greek Revival
No. of Stories:1
Registration Information
NR Listing Date:20 Jun 1979
NR District Name:Natchez-On-Top-of-the-Hill (1979)
    NR Status:Contributing
    Element No.:400
View National Register Nomination Form
Mississippi Landmark Information
Designated:05-09-1985
Recorded:07-01-1985
Book/Vol. No.:V. 16-V, p. 67
Easement Information
Date Signed:06-14-2002
Expires:04-07-2026
Easement Type:Preservation/Maintenance
Local Designation Information
Local District Name:Natchez Historic District
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Context/Comments
Built 1852-53 as auditorium for Natchez Institute, the first free school in Natchez, this building was used as Opera House in 1880s; later used for school again; remodeled in 1921 for use as a city auditorium, called Memorial Hall, and so used until City Auditorium was built in 1940. In 1938 this building was serving as a National Guard armory. The circumstances have not yet been determined or documented, but it appears that part this building became an armory about 1938, for Company B, 155th Infantry, when the building was renovated by the WPA. It is a rare surviving example of a Greek Revival auditorium building.

This building was individually listed on the National Register on 20 June 1979, and it was later included as element #400 in the Natchez-on-Top-of-the-Hill Historic District, which was placed on the National Register on 17 September 1979. It was designated a Mississippi Landmark on 9 May 1995. It received an HPF grant of $9,000 in 1990.

It is included in "Natchez Walking Guide" (1985) (#44) and "Buildings of Mississippi" (2020) (pp.35-36, ND30).