By Rita Shirley LeBleu
Demolition began Friday, Mar. 13, on what is commonly referred to as the old city jail. After it is torn down, a public pavilion will take its place, according to City of DeQuincy Mayor Riley Smith. However, the area could be enclosed for future use, depending on city finances, the Mayor said.
The Old City Hall with the museum and front offices will remain.
“The old jail area just had to come down. It was beyond saving,” Mayor Smith said. “In fact, we had to take extra precautionary measures due to the degradation of building materials.”
The Old Town Hall located at 218 E. Fourth St. was originally built to serve as a municipal building in the early 1900s. It is not known at this time whether the structure had any jail cells. A fireproof jail, mayor’s office and auditorium were added 95 years ago. There were renovations in 1951 to add the Greek Revival facade to the Fourth-street facing structure.
