A transitional space for the Jimmie Rodgers Museum in downtown Meridian will soon be open to the public. 

A soft open is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16. 

The museum will be temporarily located at 2118 Front St., while updates are made to the museum’s permanent location, the former Railway Express Agency building, according to Laura Carmichael, a board member for the Jimmie Rodgers Foundation.

“We’re excited to be able to have something that our visitors can come and enjoy,” Carmichael said. 

Rodgers is known as “The Father of Country Music.”

Carmichael said there has been a lot of interest in the museum, due in part to a Ken Burns-produced documentary series, “Country Music,” that aired in September on PBS. 

The former museum location in Highland Park is closed.

It’s not clear how long the museum will be in the transitional space and what the visiting hours will be.

The soft opening is free, but the admission fee for future visitors will be $5, Carmichael said. 

Earlier this year, the foundation estimated repairs to the former Railway Express Agency building would cost between $100,000 and $200,000 and be completely funded by donations. Changes include renovating bathrooms, installing an alarm system, replacing windows and the roof and possibly replacing the HVAC system.

In a September meeting, city leaders approved an application for a more than $430,000 grant from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History to pay for materials to preserve and stabilize the building.

A decision on the grant application will be made in December, according to Carmichael.