Multi-County looks to restart revitalization of Stevenson School

Published 10:30 am Wednesday, February 11, 2026

The Meridian City Council on Tuesday heard a request from Multi-County Community Service Agency for funding as the nonprofit organization looks to restart efforts to revitalize and reopen the old Stevenson School.

Built in 1911, Stevenson Primary School was used as a school building up until the 1950s. It was listed on the National Historic Register in 1979 and was designated a Mississippi Landmark in 1986. Multi-County acquired the building and converted it into low-income housing apartments for seniors beginning in 1995.

The building closed in 2014 after being deemed unsafe. Previous renovation efforts have fallen victim to budget cuts and the COVID-19 pandemic and failed to bring the building back into usable condition.

On Tuesday, Multi-County Director Ron Collier and Nichole Nelson with Alembic Community Development out of New Orleans, met with City Council members to discuss a new initiative to restore the building and once again offer the low-income housing for local seniors.

“We are working tirelessly to bring this building back online,” Collier said.

Nelson said her organization, which helps organizations and communities with real estate and community development projects, believes Collier and Multi-County are in a position to successfully operate the apartments again. This time around, a third-party manager will be part of the equation as well to help stay on top of maintenance and upkeep issues that contributed to the 2014 closure.

Under the current development plan, the Stevenson School building will be renovated into 40 total apartment units, with 26 studio apartments and 14 1-bedroom units, Nelson said.

“Really our request here today is to see if the city of Meridian has any funds available to contribute to this project,” she said.

Collier said the building will house both low-income residents and programs such as transportation, financial literacy and medicaid assistance to help those living in the apartments with things that they need. At Multi-County, he said, the goal is to help people find stable footing and move toward self-sufficiency, and affordable housing is a critical part of that effort.

“For the 60 years Multi-County has been around, we have done an extremely good job of moving people from poverty to process and process to progress,” he said. “And so that’s our goal in this particular project.”

Renovating Stevenson and getting it back online as a living facility is expected to take approximately $16 million, Nelson said. Based on similar historic renovation projects her firm has done, estimated construction costs are $11.5 million, or roughly $350 per square foot. An additional $2.59 million is estimated for fees and other costs associated with borrowing funds, and $1.4 million is estimated for architectural services, planning, design and other similar services, she said.

Funding for the project can come from a variety of sources, including housing tax credits, loans and city contributions, Nelson said. Those involved in the project are exploring all avenues to find the money.

While an estimated budget for the project has been drawn up, Collier said it’s important to understand the figures do not represent exact costs. The budget was created to give a ballpark figure, and individual line items will change, he said.

“What you see, the line items, are not necessarily etched in stone,” he said.

If all goes according to plan, Nelson said a potential closing date for the project could be in the first quarter of 2027.